The Marriott hotel in Islamabad will be the first hotel in the country to have state-of-the-art technology-based Hesco wall, which can withstand heavy explosions and is designed to divert them upwards. It was announced by General Manager, Marriot Hotel Islamabad, Zulfiqar Malik, while addressing a press conference held here on Thursday.
He further said that for security reasons a bomb-proof concrete wall will be erected in front of the Marriott Hotel. Besides this, fire resistant material will also be used in the construction of the hotel, which includes mirror of the windows.
A separate room will be constructed at one side of the entrance, which will be equipped with the latest technology for scanning luggage of the guests. "All the equipment that is going to be used for security purpose would be imported from UK", he added.
He further said that with the front entrance too close to the hotel building it would be necessary to ban vehicular entry from there to ensure foolproof security. All the guests of the hotel will have to walk in. "Only, the vehicles of VVIPs will be permitted to enter the hotel from the front entrance, drop the dignitary at the main porch and drive out", he maintained.
He further said that such an arrangement will not be convenient for the guests but the strict security has to be enforced unless entrance to the hotel is made available from the back. "The hotel has not been given the facility for parking as other hotels of the capital are enjoying such facilities", he added. He said that Islamabad Marriot Hotel is not a hotel but it is a house of Islamabad and such type of discrimination is not acceptable by us.
"We have been requesting the concerned authorities to allot us the plot situated at the back side of the hotel, to provide unparalleled security to the guests, but all in vain", he lamented.
Answering to a question regarding acquiring the land just behind the hotel he said: "We are ready to pay the maximum price for this piece of land, but we are unable to understand why Capital Development Authority (CDA) is not giving us the land when we are ready to buy it at market price", he said. "The main objective behind buying this piece of land is just to construct a secure parking area for our guests, not to build a 10-12 story hotel building", he stressed.
He further said that immediately after the suicide bomb blast at the hotel, we once again requested the government to provide it with main access from the back side but nothing ahs been done so far", he informed.
Answering to a question regarding the guests living in hotel at the time of bomb blast, he said that our duty is to accommodate our guests whether they are Pakistani or foreigner and secondly it is not our duty to probe that for 'what' or for 'whom' they work for.
Malik further informed that the investigation about terrorist attack on the hotel is underway and the hotel management has no information about it. The purpose of this deadly suicide bomb blast at the hotel was only to destroy the hotel, he alleged, saying that it could have been completely destroyed if the hotel's own security system had not been so effective.
"Who were behind this inhuman act of terrorism. How a truck carrying such huge explosives materials reached in 'Red Zone' and exploded at the main entrance of the five star hotel, is still a mystery and two months after the incident nothing has been done to nab the accused", he deplored. He said that the hotel would be opened soon. "We are trying our level best to open it before Muharam", he added.