Bermuda-based Digicel and Marriott broke ground yesterday on their new resort in Haiti that they say will cost $45 million to build and will open in 2015.The 175-room hotel in Port-au-Prince is a partnership between the hotel company and the telecom giant, Caribbean Journal reported yesterday. Digicel is responsible for the design and construction of the hotel, with Marriott acting as operating partner under a long-term contract.The hotel will also include five suites, a casual restaurant with private dining area, a fitness centre, a swimming pool and a great room lobby.“We’re delighted to be helping to bring the world-leading Marriott Hotels & Resorts brand to Haiti,” Digicel chairman Denis O’Brien said. “Not only will this be a solution to the lodging issues in the city, it will also create jobs, attract foreign visitors and communicate a positive outlook for the future of Haiti. Haiti is a great place to invest and do business and I encourage others to take a look at the opportunities here.”Arne Sorenson, president and CEO at Marriott International, said: “We saw the need for a leading hotel brand in Haiti to accommodate the wave of travellers coming to do business in the country,” said in a release. “We believe we can make a difference in Haiti by creating jobs and developing the human talent that can help lift this country over time back to its rightful place as one of the top destinations in the Caribbean.”Kier has been selected as the contractor for the project. Turgeau Developments SA is the operating company in which Digicel is the investment partner.The Ministry of Tourism said the hotel would eventually lead to the creation of more than 1,000 direct and indirect jobs, Caribbean Journal reported.Sorenson said Marriott is working with Haiti’s Minister of Tourism and Vocational Education to develop ways to support existing institutions to raise the quality of Haiti’s hospitality training.