Officials in Haiti celebrate completion of Marriott hotel built by telecom company Digicel
Haitian officials are welcoming the completion of the second internationally-branded hotel in the impoverished country.
The 175-room Marriott Port-au-Prince is in the Turgeau neighborhood east of downtown. President Michel Martelly and former U.S. President Bill Clinton were among those attending a ceremony Tuesday to celebrate completion of the $45 million project.
The hotel was developed by telecommunications company Digicel, the largest private employer in Haiti. Company Chairman Denis O'Brien says the hotel is primarily geared toward business travelers and he hopes it will help spur additional foreign investment in Haiti.
In March 2013, Best Western opened the first internationally branded hotel in Haiti since Holiday Inn left in 1998. Last year, Hilton Worldwide announced it would open a hotel in the country in 2016.