Tower Hotel shuts, workers left stranded

Hotel Tower shut abruptly yesterday, leaving dozens of workers without pay and raising questions about its future.

Nonpayment of wages coupled with the abrupt termination of their services saw employees of the landmark Georgetown hotel on Main Street staging a vocal afternoon protest outside their place of work. Tower, which has struggled for business in recent years, had been on the market since March but there has apparently been no takers and mounting bills saw power to the hotel being cut this week.

Its last known owners are West Demerara businessman Salim Azeez, US-based businessman James Manbahal, Varendra Shiwratan and Bharti Persaud Misir. The owners have not been available to the media since taking over the establishment in 2009.

“Three fortnights now I ain’t get a blind cent only promises then today we get a letter saying the place closing from today and nobody ain’t saying weh people hard earn dollars deh… they ain’t even had the decency to come tell we to we face,” an angry female employee told Stabroek News.