Local motel gets major facelift

 WABAG will get a major facelift with a K13 million extension to a hotel owned by a local businessman.

The three-storey extension to the Ribito Motel in Wabag town will contain 40 executive rooms, an international standard conference room, a swimming pool, an internet café, a barber shop, massaging and associated services.

Businessman Paul Kurai invested K3.6 million in 2005 to build the 13-room Ribito Motel. He said it would have cost him more than K13 million for the extension.

Kurai, who has been a ward councillor in the Wabag rural LLG for more than 20 years, said the market for investing in such business project was not attractive. He is encouraging Engans to return to the province is to support government-funded development programmes through such initiatives.

Governor Peter Ipatas, who visited the construction site, described Kurai’s investment in the hotel and hospitality progamme as “a major breakthrough” particularly when many businessmen and educated Engans thought it was not worth it.