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Este informe no está disponible en español. CARIBBEAN BUSINESS IHP Buys Old Hospital At Former Ramey Air Force BaseProperty Will Be Converted Into A 150-Room Hotel By EVELYN GUADALUPE-FAJARDO August 21, 2003 Industria Hotelera Puertorriqueña (IHP), headed by Jesus "Chu" Ruiz, has bought the old Punta Borinquen Hospital at the former Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla and plans to convert it into a 150-room hotel. The new hotel, to be named Punta Borinquen, will become IHP’s third property in Aguadilla, joining Parador El Faro (the company’s flagship hotel) and Parador Borinquen, formerly Hotel Borinquen. IHP, which has several other small, midpriced hotels in urban centers, usually operates the hotels without a franchise name. Rumor has it, though, that Punta Borinquen will be branded. IHP is investing $16 million to refurbish the abandoned building, which lies on 6.2 acres. The hotel’s ground-breaking ceremony was scheduled for this week, but it had to be postponed because neither Jose Suarez, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Co., nor Gov. Sila Calderon could attend. The first phase of the project entails building 82 rooms, a restaurant, and a parking lot. The second calls for another 68 rooms, a casino, a gym, a convention center, and a recreational facility. Approximately 75 jobs will be generated during the construction stage and 325 once the hotel opens. This Caribbean Business article appears courtesy of Casiano Communications.
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