‘Reduce ‘hotel’ definition to 50 sleeping rooms’

To encourage and foster tourism and the casino gaming industry on Tinian, the number of minimum sleeping units of a “hotel” or “approved hotel” should be reduced from 200 to only 50 rooms, according to Rep. Patrick H. San Nicolas (R-Tinian).

In line with this, San Nicolas introduced at the House of Representatives special session Tuesday afternoon House Local Bill 23-14 that seeks to amend Tinian Local Law 21-09 in order to reduce the number of minimum sleeping units under the definition of “hotel” or “approved hotel.”

In response to Saipan Tribune’s inquiry yesterday, the lawmaker said Bridge Investment Group is requesting for the law’s amendment as they have the rooms, but the law says it has to be 200 rooms.

In July 2020, Bridge Investment Group announced the opening of their Tinian Diamond Hotel in San Jose Village. It offers 17 appointed rooms with many having balconies where guests can enjoy ocean views.

The Tinian Diamond Casino’s live training facility/temporary casino complex will be in the same Tinian Diamond Hotel. The casino has yet to open as it is waiting for the Tinian Casino Gaming Control Commission’s action, Saipan Tribune learned.

San Nicolas stated in the legislation that the Tinian and Aguiguan Legislative Delegation finds that in order to accommodate the change in the CNMI’s current economic situation as a result of the global effect of COVID-19 pandemic, businesses needed to reassess their structure to remain in operation and allow a change to recover and grow.

He said the delegation further finds that it is necessary to amend Tinian Local Law 21-09 in the interest of encouraging and fostering tourism and the casino industry, in order to make the island more investor friendly and more competitive in the Pacific region.

San Nicolas said the delegation and the entire leadership are committed to making the needed changes in the policy to ensure the casino industry on the island remains a viable option for economic development.

Under Tinian Local law 21-09, a “hotel” or “approved hotel” is defined as a “building containing a minimum of 200 sleeping units, each of each shall contain at least 325 square feet measured to the center of perimeter walls, including bathroom and closet space and excluding hallways, balconies and lounges, each containing private bathroom facilities…”

Under the proposed legislation, the operation of internet gaming is conditioned on having a hotel with at least 50 units and “an operational hotel-casino complex and the implementation of a geolocation software limiting internet gaming activities to within intra-island borders of the Second Senatorial District and between jurisdictions where the conduct of internet gaming is legal.”