Marriott has continued its growth in [the region],” says Martin Castano, Regional VP, Sales and Distribution, Marriott International, Caribbean and Latin America. “We have close to 500 properties with 25 brands—but success is never final—and we always want one more. So our development pipeline today includes 151 new projects, which means over 24,000 new rooms.”
New Marriott openings in the luxury space include the St. Regis Cap Cana Resort. Set to open December 2024, the ocean-facing property will offer 200 rooms and nine F&B experiences, including fine dining restaurant Mina by celebrity chef Diego Munoz; Mediterranean-inspired Cassava; and The Amber Room offering tapas dishes. Other amenities include the St. Regis Spa, nearby Jack Nicklaus, 7,396-yard Punta Espada golf course; and three meeting spaces, with the largest space accommodating up to 170.
Also set to open in December 2024, the St. Regis Aruba will offer 252 rooms including 52 suites, as well as the St. Regis Spa, a fitness center and 18,000 sf of indoor and outdoor event space.
Marriott’s first W property in Brazil will open in November 2024. The W Sao Paulo will offer 179 rooms, two restaurants, a spa, a fitness center and five event rooms with the largest accommodating up to 360.
“Customers like to have a nice hotel, great location and great service—that’s a given. But today they’re looking more into the sort of experiences that they can have,” says Castano. “And what we have in the Caribbean and Latin America is all the culture, food and unique experiences, which combine together to create a wow factor for our customers.
“Guests at our hotels in Mexico can combine a mezcal tasting with Oaxacan cuisine, or in the Caribbean, can engage in coral reef restoration, swimming with stingrays or participating in turtle nesting.”
In the all-inclusive space, Almare, a Luxury Collection Resort is set to open in October 2024 in Isla Mujeres. The adults-only resort will offer 105 rooms and seven restaurants and bars including authentic Mayan and Mexican cuisine and an oceanview Mediterranean restaurant. Its wellness offerings will include a state-of-the-art fitness center, a salt room, a full salon and a hydrotherapy pool.
Following closely on its heels in Q1 2025, the W Punta Cana, All-Inclusive in the Dominican Republic will be Marriott’s first all-inclusive W hotel offering 340 rooms and nine dining options including Mediterranean, Caribbean and Japanese cuisine. The resort’s wellness offerings will include the Away Spa, featuring 10 treatment rooms, passive and active water therapy zones, a beauty salon and a 1,500-sf fitness center. The hotel will also include 14,000 sf of meeting space with the largest ballroom offering more than 5,000 sf of space.
“At the St Regis Punta Mita—which just went through a $45 million renovation—we can set up an exclusive dining experience on the beach beneath the moonlight,” says Castano. “While at the W Punta Mita, we offer an Instagram concierge service that can help groups capture the best photos of their teambuilding activities to upload to their social networks.” —Steve Grasso
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