The architects of Jamaica's largest tourist real estate development company, Keith and Paula Russell, head of the Amaterra Group Jamaica, signed a hotel management operator contract with the award-winning global travel company Marriott International.
The official signing took place on the night of November 14 in Montego Bay, Jamaica, in the presence of Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, Industry Minister Audley Shaw, JAMPRO President Diane Edwards, and Delano Seiveright and Ian Levy, members of the Board of Directors of JAMPRO.
Responding to the desire of consumers around the world for a worry-free premium vacation, Marriott International announced in August that it would launch an All-Inclusive platform to serve this growing and popular travel segment. Based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA In the US, the Marriott International portfolio currently covers more than 7,200 properties under the umbrella of 30 leading brands in 134 countries and territories.
The company plans to build its new platform taking advantage of seven of its established luxury and full service brands.
By partnering with Amaterra Jamaica Limited, Marriott will soon expand its all-inclusive portfolio, to popular leisure destinations worldwide and bring the first all-inclusive Marriott Hotels brand property to Jamaica. This will give 137 million members of Marriott Bonvoy the opportunity to enjoy a new vacation option in a highly desired destination.
The emblematic 800-room development of Amaterra will be located 40 kilometers east of the Montego Bay airport, on the north coast of the island, and is located on 3 kilometers of white sand beach. Construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2020 and be completed in 2022.
The Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, said the development is a key part of the "largest expansion of hotel room inventory in the history of Jamaica, representing the most powerful week in investment development for the tourism industry, with the entry Marriott as an important step in the right direction "Bartlett also listed a series of initiatives that are already bearing fruit to strengthen ties, increase the development of human capital for tourism and further increase the benefits of tourism.
Commenting on the partnership with Marriott International, the president of Amaterra Group, Keith Russell said: “Amaterra Group is pleased to welcome Marriott International as our hotel management operator. The Marriott brand is highly respected and internationally recognized, and we could not be happier to have it aboard this initiative so that we are one of its first all-inclusive properties worldwide. This is a big step not only for Amaterra but also for the Marriott industry as we move forward. ”
Laurent de Kousemaeker, Development Director of Marriott International in the Caribbean and Latin America, commented: “We are delighted to partner with Amaterra in this exciting project. Jamaica is a key destination for our new All Inclusive brand extensions. We are pleased to start with an emblematic Marriott all-inclusive resort project and we are confident that Amaterra has the vision to make it happen on the island”.