Saipan Grand names official hotel

The Saipan Grand Hotel has been designated as the official hotel of the 2009 Oceania Basketball Tournament. The designation was made by the Basketball Association of the Northern Mariana Islands, the organizers of the tournament.

The Saipan Grand Hotel will house all of the players, coaches, team officials, and FIBA Oceania personnel, almost 200 in number, who will be visiting Saipan for the Tournament. A sizeable number of media personnel, fans, friends, and families are expected to accompany the teams to Saipan, and they will be offered special rates at the hotel.

The hotel will also be the site of the Oceania Basketball Congress, which is held once every four years, at which FIBA Oceania will elect its officials and conduct other business.

The tournament will be held from June 20 to 28, 2009, and will feature visiting men’s and women’s teams from Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Fiji, Guam, and Palau to compete with the CNMI’s best. Held just once every four years, the tournament is the only opportunity for Pacific Island national to play against the strong Australia and New Zealand teams. The tournament will be contested at the Marianas High School Gym and Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, both just a short distance from the hotel.

The Saipan Grand Hotel, a Tan Holdings company, is one of Saipan’s finest. Its 224 tropically themed rooms, specifically designed with comfort in mind, each display picturesque views of the ocean, enabling the visitor to enjoy Saipan’s beautiful sunsets.

Its restaurants and bars include the Aoi Japanese Restaurant, the Mango Tree Café, Club-V, Southern Cross Karaoke Bar, and the Beach BBQ. Guests can participate in a wide variety of fun and exciting island-style activities, especially water sports. The hotel offers all the amenities that one expects at a first-class hotel.

BANMI extends its particular thanks to Ed Cho, general manager of the Saipan Grand, and Takahiro Tsuchiya, the hotel’s sales and marketing manager, as well as to Jerry Tan and Ed Arriola Jr., of Tan Holdings.

BANMI president Elias Rangamar noted, “The entire sports community of the CNMI is grateful to Tan Holdings and the Saipan Grand Hotel for making this major commitment to our community. They are helping to make the 2009 Oceania Tournament a memorable one, in which the entire CNMI can take pride.”

Gold sponsors for the tournament so far include CNMI business anchors Tan Holdings and the Joeten Charitable Foundation. Rangamar expressed his appreciation to these companies, and noted that additional sponsorship opportunities are available for companies who want to take advantage of associating with this prestigious tournament.

For further information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Rangamar at 664-2502, or Mike White at 234-6547.