Cassowary Hotel in Kiunga, Western opening soon

The Cassowari Hotel from the Western Province is to be the jewel of the crown for Kiunga.
Today, the Ok Tedi Development Foundation (OTDF) will officially handover Cassowary Hotel, its latest commercial investment to the Coral Sea Hotels (CSH) to prepare for its grand opening in a few weeks time.
In a statement yesterday, OTDF issued that the Cassowary Hotel is more than an investment to generate a guaranteed return in excess of K2.5 million per year to the people of the eight Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA) Trusts for 20 years and four North and Middle Fly Women’s Associations for 10 years.
The hotel will also increase paid employment for locals and create opportunities for sale of local produce and provision of hotel operating services for decades to come.
It is more reason for the people of the CMCA region to celebrate today when the Cassowary Hotel is jointly opened by Ok Tedi Mining Limited Board Chairman Sir Moi Avei and the Governor of Western Province Taboi Yoto, OTDF issued.
The 40-room full service hotel is OTDF’s most recent investment and is an iconic structure in the growing riverside township of Kiunga.
The Cassowary Hotel is the eighth and final major Community Mine Continuation Agreement (CMCA) Trust investment project to be delivered by the Ok Tedi Development Foundation (OTDF) under the current CMCA trust investment processes.
The investment completes a real estate, aviation and shipping portfolio worth in excess of K110 million for the eight CMCA Trusts of Nupmo, Tutuwe, Wai Tri, Middle Fly, Suki Fly Gogo, Manawete, Kiwaba, and Dudi. The hotel will be managed by Coral Sea Hotels (CSH). The hotel’s substantive internal works were completed of by the end of 2017 by Pacific Palms Properties (PPP). Both PPP and CSH are owned by the Steamships Trading Company (STC). However, due to construction cost variations, OTDF reported that it is also negotiating revised terms with STC to extend the Cassowary lease agreement from 10 to 20 years, to yield a gross return in excess of K55 million.