Hotel RFP put on ice
Saipan casino operator Imperial Pacific International will not be taking over hotel operations at the island’s Mariana Resort & Spa as once planned. According to Department of Public Lands Secretary Marianne Concepcion-Teregeyo, the deadline to seal the deal with the agency came and went with no agreement.
According to told Marianas Variety, the DPL has now separated the property into three separate RFPs: one for the golf course, one for the race track and one for the hotel.
IPI had been expected to take over the resort but required a special dispensation from the Lottery Commission because its casino license specifically forbids it from running anything less than a five-star hotel. That permission was granted on the condition that Mariana Resort would be the only hotel of less than five stars under its management.
According to reports, IPI has since submitted new proposals for the hotel and racetrack while Kan Pacific, the current hotel operator, has submitted a proposal for the golf course. All proposals will go to the DPL.
