Courtyard by Marriott Cheddi Jagan International Airport

President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, and other elected officials and community leaders joined Cardinal Investments Inc. (Cardinal) for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Courtyard by Marriott – the first hotel to be built at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in Timehri, Guyana. New York City-based Urbahn Architects designed the new hotel. Urbahn also designed the Guyana Marriott Hotel Georgetown, the first Marriott-branded property in the country.

Established by Roy Bassoo and Denise Bassoo, Cardinal is a special-purpose company, which serves as the developer of the new hotel property, expected to open in 2023. Roy Bassoo also serves as Managing Director of R. Bassoo & Sons Construction Company. Cardinal recently executed management and services agreements for the new hotel with Marriott International. Funding for the project was provided in part through syndicated financing led by Republic Bank (Guyana) Limited.

President Ali; Roy and Denise Bassoo; Ambassador of the United States of America to Guyana Sarah-Ann Lynch; Urbahn Architects Principal Natale V. Barranco, AIA, LEED AP; Guyana Minister of Public Works Hon. Bishop Juan A. Edghill; Guyana Marriott Hotel Georgetown General Manager Eduardo Reple; and other business and community leaders led the groundbreaking ceremony.

President Ali noted: “This is a big investment, but our government is also facilitating smaller investments to ensure that our airport serves with excellence and provides that welcoming environment to showcase the masterpiece of Guyana and the character of the Guyanese hospitality.”

“Cheddi Jagan Airport is Guyana’s main international airport and we are proud to contribute to the development of this major South American transportation hub. We are thrilled to include Urbahn Architects, one of the most prominent international architectural firms, on our project team,” stated Roy Bassoo.

“The $20 million, six-story, 93,600-square foot property will feature 150 guestrooms, a convention center, meeting rooms, food service outlets, and outdoor pool, and surface parking. The building, located within mere feet from the international terminal, will be the first hotel operating at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport,” shared Natale V. Barranco, AIA, LEED AP. “The second phase of the project will include an adjacent three-story, 21,000-square foot retail, restaurant, and entertainment complex, with both structures situated on a 2.5-acre site,” he continued.

According to Urbahn Architects’ Associate Ryan E. Bieber, LEED AP, “The hotel’s 150 guestrooms will include 70 single king bed-rooms, 65 double queen bed guestrooms, and five suites. On the ground level, the property will house a spacious lobby with media pods and seating, a lounge, and a bistro with outdoor and private seating. In the north wing of the ground floor, there will be a large meeting room, public restroom facilities, a spacious fitness center, and an outdoor pool area. The south wing of the building will house a 300-person banquet facility that can be separated into three 950-square foot meeting rooms entered via a shared 1,500-square foot pre-function space.”

The south wing will also house the hotel’s back-of-house areas that have been designed specifically for Caribbean and Latin American hotel operations needs, including expanded employee facilities, kitchens, and delivery sections.

Cheddi Jagan International Airport (IATA: GEO, ICAO: SYCJ), formerly Timehri International Airport, is the national airport of Guyana. The airport is located on the right bank of the Demerara River in the city of Timehri, 25 miles (41 kilometers) south of Guyana’s capital, Georgetown. The airport services flights to numerous international destinations, including New York and Miami in the U.S.; Port of Spain, Trinidad;
Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport in Surinam; and Toronto, Canada. Airlines operating flights to and from CJIA include American Airlines, JetBlue, Surinam Airlines, Eastern Airlines, Copa Airlines, and Caribbean Airlines.