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DHAKA: Ruposhi Bangla Hotel, the largest five-star hotel of the country, is going to be laid off in November next as Intercontinental, one of the leading international hotel chains, due to renovation work for the next one-year.
Bangladesh Service Limited (BSL) owning company of Ruposhi Bangla hotel recently served a notice to the hotel authorities not to receive any booking after October.
Earlier, BSL made a decision to lay off the hotel by October.
Sheraton wrapped up its operations in Bangladesh after a long stay for 27 years, and BSL took over operations and management on May 1, 2010 renaming it Ruposhi Bangla.
On 19 February in the current year, BSL signed an agreement with Intercontinental in the presence of Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Faruk Khan.
The deal will be effective for 30 years and can be extended, depending on performance in each expansion period spanning over five years.
It will take one year for major renovation and during the renovation work, the hotel will remain off.
BSL signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the Intercontinental on July of last year.
An official of BSL, wishing anonymity, said before final agreement, BSL took a decision ‘Ruposhi Bangla’ would be attached with Intercontinental. But, finally Intercontinental ignored BSL appeal.
“It was completely failure of BSL high official as they couldn’t add `Ruposhi Bangla’ which provided by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. If the BSL authorities could have bargain logically, it would be possible to rename as `Intercontinental Ruposhi Bangla”, he added.
He further added that it is normal practice to add local brand name, most of the country in the world follow this system.
Even Bangladesh has an example like ‘Pan Pacific Sonargaon’ hotel. In this name Sonargaon is our local brand name, he said.
Intercontinental is a global hotels group with more guest rooms than any other hotel group in the world–over 645,000 rooms in more than 4,400 hotels in over 100 countries.
It has seven hotel brands for business trips, family vacations, honeymoons and more. Intercontinental has a global portfolio of 166 hotels in over 60 countries.
Intercontinental had run the state-owned hotel before Sheraton took over management in 1983.
In 2009, Starwood, the mother company of hotel Sheraton, also gave same conditions for further extension of the contract and finally, BSL didn’t agree with the Starwood as it decided to terminate all employees of the hotel during renovation.
This time BSL agreed because no one will be terminated who worked for Ruposhi Bangla. During renovation, everyone will get job in other branches of Intercontinental in the world.
BDST: 2140 HRS, APR 25, 2012
Edited by:
Mohammed Humayun Kabir, Sr Newsroom Editor
M. Mahbub Alam, Asst Output Editor