The newly-upgraded Crossroads Transit Hotel aims to address a shortage of hotel rooms in Lae, Morobe Province.

A Hornibrook NGI developed hotel originally built to cater for a mining company in the Morobe Province is being reconfigured as a commercial facility targeting the broader business community and leisure travelers.

Crossroads Transit Hotel is located within Awilunga Estate, about 12 kilometres from central Lae, a unique position halfway between the city’s business district and Lae Nadzab Airport.

The 46-room hotel, constructed within a secure 62-acre area on the main Highlands Highway, opened in April 2013 to provide accommodation for local mining personnel working in Morobe.

However, Hornibrook has since identified an opportunity to broaden its use by targeting the wider business community visiting Lae, while also establishing a more friendly facility for leisure travellers.

Hornibrook’s Property Division Manager Chris Thompson told Business Advantage PNG that the new approach would also help address an accommodation shortage in Lae, which has caused issues for the city’s business community over many years.

‘There is certainly a shortage of hotel rooms in Lae and especially where we are located, between the city’s main business area and the airport,’ he said.

‘We have worked hard to turn the hotel into a secure, one-stop shop for visitors of all types, and all within the secure surroundings of Awilunga Estate.’

The hotel has been upgraded to feature an international restaurant, dining room, commercial laundry, fully equipped gym, and two swimming pools, one of which is currently being constructed.