The Marriott, Haiti

In 2010, Haiti was struck by an earthquake, which caused widespread devastation and loss of life, and destroyed around half of the capital's 1600 hotel rooms. Since then, there have been considerable efforts to double capacity in the capital, through the expansion of existing hotels and the construction of new facilities. Marriott International Inc. and Digicel, Haiti’s largest telecommunications network, partnered on a $45m project which was facilitated by the Clinton Foundation, to create a 5-star, 175 key hotel, with full leisure facilities and extensive landscaping. More than simply creating another hotel in its prestigious chain, the client’s objective was to create a model for social innovation and community investment, creating sustainable employment opportunities for the community, and sourcing much of its materials and foods from locals. Linesight was proud to be an integral part of the team for this project, and we were appointed by the client because of our experience in the Caribbean and our past work with Digicel.

Driving value and managing costs 

We provided full cost management services for this project, including cost estimating, project controls, procurement and tender evaluation, processing of payments, cost reporting, change management, and cash flow projections. Full procurement of FF&E, OS&E, and management of soft costs were also provided by our team, directly to the owner.  

Forward-looking sustainability 

• Sustainability was key throughout this project in both design and construction, with energy efficient building technologies utilized
• We created a densely insulated building envelope, with low solar gain glazing complemented with additional direct sun screens
• An energy plant producing 6 megawatts of electricity from 6 x 1100kw diesel generators was created and connected to a 1 megawatt solar farm located nearby
• Water storage and treatment systems have been prioritized with key features; a five-day water supply, 60% of the hotel’s hot water supply coming from thermal solar panels installed on the roof and a 60,000 gallon waste water treatment plan. 

Overcoming key challenges to deliver an exceptional result 

• The environment in which the project took place was challenging, with vital infrastructure still being repaired and rebuilt – our team ensured that this had no negative impact on the development
• The construction was delivered using a design and build approach and took two years to complete