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Company eyes building 1,200-room hotel in Tanapag
A company that is planning to renovate the former Magellan Hotel along Route 316 or Wireless Ridge on Capital Hill, Saipan, has acquired 10 hectares of private land in Tanapag to build a 1,200-room hotel.
American SinoPan LLC that owns a golf course and hotels in China is proposing a $350,000 renovation of the two-story 12-room Heaven II Hotel, formerly known as the Magellan Hotel on Capital Hill.
American SinoPan LLC chief executive officer Ken Lin said the renovation of Heaven Hotel II is their first small project on Saipan, but their biggest is the construction of the Saipan Garden Resort.
Lin said they subleased the private land from Peak Development, which is located across Tanapag Elementary School.
Right now, they don’t know yet when are they going to start the construction of the Saipan Garden Resort, Lin said, as they are still learning the local zoning laws.
Lin said their mother company, SinoPan, is based in Shanghai, China and that they first registered in Hong Kong.
He said they own a golf course and three hotels in China.
When asked why they chose Saipan as their first investment abroad, Lin said cited its booming tourism industry, beautiful beaches and waters, the ease of entry for Chinese tourists, and its casino.
“Saipan is also the closest American soil. To us, safety is very important. This is the American system, putting a [premium] on protection,” Lin said.
They did look at Southeast Asia and the Pacific region and considered the Philippines and Palau.
With respect to their renovation project for Heaven II Hotel, Lin said their conditional use application passed the Zoning Board with some conditions during the public hearing last Thursday.
American SinoPan LLC president Guohua Pan submitted the conditional use application before the Commonwealth Zoning board.
Currently, Heaven II Hotel has four separate buildings totaling 13,723 square feet. American SinoPan acquired a total of 29,000 square meters of land at the Heaven II Hotel.
Under the project, American SinoPan proposes to have 12 dwelling units ranging from one to three floors with a maximum height of 27 feet.
The company wants an American with Disabilities Act-compliant restaurant, extensions to its kitchen and storage, ADA compliant guest rooms, more parking spaces, and rehabilitated swimming pools, among other developments.
