Fiesta logo, branding removed from Garapan hotel

A team of contractors worked yesterday morning to remove the logo and lettering of the former Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan. The removal project is part of renovations in progress as the Garapan hotel prepares to operate as the Crowne Plaza Resort beginning March 2022.

SM Enterprises LLC, a heavy equipment rental, manpower services, and general construction firm, was at the project site yesterday providing a manlift truck and professional operators.

Speaking briefly about what he knew about the current scope of work, Franco Getueza of SME said that work to remove the large letters that spelled “FIESTA” began at 7:30am yesterday. Once the letters were removed, next up was Fiesta’s logo, an effort that Getueza projected would be completed by noon yesterday.

Murphy Enterprises Inc., a general contractor, provided personnel who aided in the letters and logo removal. The firm was also contracted to paint the entire exterior of the Garapan hotel.

In an interview yesterday with Murphy Enterprises superintendent Matthew Murphy, he said that once the logo and letters are removed, Murphy Enterprises will plaster, repaint, and patch up the holes and markings left by the Fiesta logo and letters. Citing the importance of maintaining worker safety, Murphy Enterprises’ role in the project may be a 12-hour endeavor, said Murphy.

“We try to get the guys to move as quickly as they can, but obviously safety is a huge issue here [with] the height and everything. So we want to take our time, do it right, and do it safely,” he said.

Appearing briefly at the project site was Crowne Plaza Resort general manager Robert Coates, who said the hotel will be operating as the Crowne Plaza Resort in March 2022 and that several local contractors were brought in to provide areas of expertise and perform different roles. He described yesterday’s project and the brand transition as an “exciting time and an era change.”

“It’s quite an exciting time and an era change. Fiesta’s been here for a long, long time, but now we’re moving into a new time with the Crowne Plaza,” he said.

In early March this year, a groundbreaking ceremony was held on the hotel grounds to mark the beginning of the hotel’s change from Fiesta to Crowne Plaza Resort. Ten months before this groundbreaking ceremony in March, TanHoldings Corp. chief executive officer Jerry Tan announced that the company had inked a management contract with InterContinental Hotel Group to manage the Garapan property, giving the CNMI another international hotel brand. IHG will run the hotel but it will still be owned by TanHoldings Corp.