Digicel’s $32.5m Hotel Development in Samoa
Anew hotel will soon take shape in Sogi, Apia, Samoa. This month, Digicel Samoa is expected to host a groundbreaking ceremony to kick-start their WS$40million (FJ$32.5m) hotel development.
The hotel will be located on Samoa International Finance Authority (SIFA) land, where the Samoan government parked all the cars and buses during the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Conference This was confirmed by the Chairman of Digicel Samoa, Pepe Fiaailetoa Fruean.
To be called the Lava Hotel, Mr Fruean told the Samoa Observer they are looking at 55 rooms. The Planning and Urban Management Agency (PUMA) division of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) has already approved and issued the development consent for the construction to take shape.
“We’re really happy we are finalising the development design with the architecture and the engineers,” Mr Fruean told the Samoa
Observer, adding that they are ironing out just the few final details. “And we are well placed, we are moving forward and we would expect some positive news.” Mr Fruean said Digicel is excited to be able to help grow the Samoan tourism industry by adding 55 more rooms to what is already available.
“I suppose I would like the hotel to speak for itself. It’s a really exciting project,” he said.
“Our main business is obviously communications. We’ve invested so much in our core business as a result the company continues to do well at the end of the year. “The government through its hotel development plans had this opportunity for businesses to invest in infrastructure and we saw the opportunity.
“We thought well, let’s take the opportunity further and recommit to Samoa in a different area in tourism, where we’ve never been to in Samoa.”