Bangladesh’s industrial belt to see first 5-star hotel

Bangladesh will see the opening of the country's first 5-star hotel in an industrial zone thanks to Marriott International Inc USA.

Marriott Bhaluka, a chain of Marriott International, will be the hotel located beside the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.

The hotel, which is expected to see the soft launch in March next year, targets mainly to host the industrialists and foreign buyers who come to the industrial zone to place export orders.

Best Holdings Ltd, the owing company of Le Méridien Dhaka, is constructing the hotel located 50-kilometre north of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The company has already received go-ahead from Bangladesh Investment Development Authority to invest Tk 1,200 crore to build the hotel.

A huge number of foreigners every day struggle finding a good place to stay during their visit to the zone that houses thousands of factories of several industries, said Amin Ahmad, chairman of Best Holdings Ltd.

There are many resorts but there is no 5-star hotel in the industrial zone, he said.

"So, we hope we will be able to attract businesspeople and buyers. The hotel will also be attractive for organising business summits and different programmes of the industries."

The under-construction hotel will be 3.37 lakh square feet and it will have 209 deluxe rooms, 18 suites and a 2,000 square feet Marriott Suite.

Best Holdings inked an agreement with Marriot International Inc USA in June of 2021 for the hotel, which will also include four restaurants, a banquet hall, three meeting rooms and an infinity pool of 18,800 square feet.

Before the construction of the hotel, a project feasibility study was conducted by Hotelivate, a multinational hospitality consulting firm, Ahmad said.

The feasibility study suggested the 5-star hotel has huge business potential, as the hundreds of resorts the zone has remain occupied round the years, he said.

"We are targeting to begin its commercial operation in July of 2024."

The main structure of the hotel is complete and at present the interior design works are going on, he said.

Already, some of the rooms are ready and utility connections are also active, he added.

"If it does not get ready within the stipulated time, we will launch a portion of the hotel in July next year."