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Tinian Dynasty won’t reopen tomorrow
Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino shut its doors last month and it will not be reopening tomorrow, April 15, as they had earlier announced to their employees and the public.
Saipan Tribune learned that the hotel, which suspended operations starting last March 5, isn’t capable of opening tomorrow.
Tinian Dynasty is closed for about six weeks now due to “low occupancy” and lack of “charter groups.”
Sources said, however, that the hotel is looking at opening temporarily for the San Jose Fiesta on April 29 to 30, which is expected to attract visitors—but it is not yet clear when it will—or if it will ever—return to normal operations.
Despite its earlier assurance to its employees that they will open this weekend as they will have “new charter groups coming in again” and that on June, which is their peak season, that “business will be very promising,” employees are still left in tenterhooks of what is going to happen.
Due to the uncertainty of the hotel’s operation, Saipan Tribune learned that “a lot” Dynasty’s employees already resigned.
The hotel reportedly had 390 employees earlier this year.
In their March memorandum, a copy of which was obtained by Saipan Tribune, Dynasty stated that during the six weeks of suspension, “free rent will be extended to all employees who stay in the barracks” and that their canteen will “still be open to serve three meals a day for employees and their dependents.”
It is not clear if this will still be extended to employees as they go beyond the six-week suspension.
Saipan Tribune also learned that while Tinian Dynasty has paid its 531 former and current employees their five months-worth of back wages—an amount of more than $1.3 million—as was stated in the settlement agreement administered by the CNMI Department of Labor, Dynasty has not yet paid them for the 25 percent in liquidated damages.
The damages amount to $416,241.37 and was supposed to be paid last March 15, along with the second tranche of back wage payments.
