<Page>

                                                                 Exhibit 10.3(a)

                             SECOND AMENDMENT TO THE
                        2002 ROYAL SONESTA LOAN AGREEMENT


     BE IT KNOWN, that on the days of December, 2004, before us, the undersigned
Notaries Public duly commissioned and qualified in the Parishes/Counties and
States as hereinafter set forth, personally came and appeared:


     ROYAL SONESTA, INC., a Louisiana corporation having its principal place of
     business in New Orleans, Louisiana, TIN #72-0803191, herein represented by
     its undersigned officer, duly authorized and acting pursuant to resolutions
     of its Board of Directors, a certified copy of which is annexed hereto
     ("Borrower");

     SONESTA INTERNATIONAL HOTELS CORPORATION, a New York corporation having its
     principal place of business in Boston, Massachusetts, TIN #135648107,
     herein represented by its undersigned officer, duly authorized and acting
     pursuant to resolutions of its Board of Directors ("Guarantor"). and

     HIBERNIA NATIONAL BANK, a national banking association, organized and
     existing under the laws of the United States of America, and domiciled in
     the Parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana, with its principal office at 313
     Carondelet Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130, TIN #72-0210640,
     represented herein by its duly authorized undersigned officer ("Bank");


who covenant and agree that:

     WHEREAS, Borrower, Guarantor and Bank entered into the 2002 Royal Sonesta
Loan Agreement ("2002 Agreement") effective as of April 1, 2002,

     WHEREAS, Borrower, Guarantor and Bank entered into the First Amendment to
the 2002 Agreement ("First Amendment") which (i) reduced the aggregate principal
amount at any one time outstanding to $3,000,000, (ii) established the
expiration of the commitment as February 28, 2005, (iii) provided that the
Guarantor would not be required to maintain a minimum level of equity, and (iv)
provided that Guarantor was no longer restricted from paying dividends.

     WHEREAS, Borrower, Guarantor and Bank desire to amend 2002 Agreement, as
amended by the First Amendment, to provide that the expiration of the commitment
shall be December 31, 2005.

     NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual benefits received or to be
received by each of them, Borrower, Guarantor and Bank do hereby enter into this
Second Amendment of the 2002 Agreement ("Second Amendment") and covenant and
agree as follows:

     1.   Section 1.1 TERMS DEFINED ABOVE is hereby amended to read as follows:

                                                                              58
<Page>

          " As used in this 2002 Agreement, the terms "Borrower", "Bank",
          "Guarantor", "2002 Agreement", "First Amendment" and Second Amendment
          shall have the meanings indicated above."

     2.   The following definitions in the Section 1.2 section entitled
"DEFINITIONS" are hereby amended to read as follows:

          "TERMINATION DATE" shall mean December 31, 2005.

     3.   Borrower and Guarantor hereby confirm and agree that the Multiple
Indebtedness Leasehold Mortgage, Security Agreement and Assignment of Leases and
rents by Royal Sonesta, Inc. in favor of Hibernia National Bank, dated March 28,
2002 recorded as Instrument #653527 and in M.O.B. 3627, folio 194 in the
mortgage records for the Parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana, secures not only
this loan and the capital credit card loan but any and all other indebtedness
and obligations of Borrower and Guarantor of every nature and kind whatsoever in
favor of Bank.

     4.   Borrower and Guarantor hereby reaffirm represent, warrant and covenant
to Bank that the representations and warranties set forth in Section 4 remain
true and in effect. In particular Borrower and Guarantor represent that the
execution of the Second Amendment is properly authorized and will not violate
the Borrower's or the Guarantor's Articles of Incorporation or their Bylaws, or
any contract, agreement, law, regulation, order, injunction, judgment, decree or
writ to which Borrower or Guarantor is subject, or any indenture, mortgage, deed
of trust, credit agreement, lease or other instrument to which Borrower or
Guarantor or any of their property is bound, and do not conflict with or result
in a breach of or constitute a default under any such instrument.

     Neither Borrower nor Guarantor is in default, in any respect which
materially and adversely affects their business, properties, operations or
condition, financial or otherwise, under any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust,
contract, agreement or other instrument to which Borrower or Guarantor is a
party or by which they are bound, nor, in any respect which materially and
adversely affects their business, properties, operations or condition, financial
or otherwise any order, writ, injunction, judgment, decree or any statute, rule
or regulation.

     5.   Borrower will promptly pay or will cause to be paid all reasonable
legal costs and fees incurred by Bank in connection with the preparation of this
Second Amendment.

     Except as hereinabove stated, the terms and conditions of the 2002
Agreement, as amended by First Amendment shall remain unchanged and in full
force and effect and be binding upon Borrower and Bank as though set forth
herein at length, and nothing herein contained shall be construed as a novation
of the debt.


                 REMAINDER OF THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK

                                                                              59
<Page>

     THUS DONE AND PASSED on the 31st of December, 2004, in the City of Boston,
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the presence of the undersigned witnesses who
hereunto sign their names with the Mortgagor and me, Notary, after due reading
of the whole.

WITNESSES:                               BORROWER
                                         ROYAL SONESTA, INC
/S/ Michelle Conceicao                   BY: /S/
                      -----                    --------------------------
/S/ David Rakouskas                      Name:      Boy van Riel
---------------------------                   --------------------------------
                                         Title:    V.P. & Treasurer
                                               -------------------------------

                                         GUARANTOR
                                         SONESTA INTERNATIONAL HOTELS
                                         CORPORATION
                                         BY: /S/
                                                ------------------------------
                                         Name:         Boy van Riel
                                               -------------------------------
                                         Title:     V.P. & Treasurer
                                               ---------------------------------

                          ----------------------------

                                  NOTARY PUBLIC
                            BAR # Michelle Conceicao
                                  NOTARY PUBLIC
                   MY COMMISSION EXPIRES ON November 15, 2007

     THUS DONE AND PASSED on the 22nd of December, 2004, in the city of New
Orleans, State of Louisiana, in the presence of the undersigned witnesses who
hereunto sign their names with the Mortgagor and me, Notary, after due reading
of the whole.

WITNESSES:                               BANK
                                         HIBERNIA NATIONAL BANK
/S/ Sharon F. Giron                      BY:   /S/
                   ------                    ------------------------------
/S/ Janet L. Carlallo                    Name:      Andrew B. Booth
-------------------------                     -----------------------------
                                         Title:     Vice President
                                               ----------------------------

                        /S/
                        ---------------------------------
                               KATHLEEN S. PLEMER
                                  NOTARY PUBLIC
                                   BAR # 11003
                        MY COMMISSION IS ISSUED FOR LIFE

                                                                              60