Vamos a la playa, oh, oh, oh, oh
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In 1655 England seized
Jamaica from Spain- it would
appear that now, some 350
years later, the Spanish are
back en force. Over the last
couple of years the Spanish
tour operators and hotel companies
have been grabbing
headlines with large-scale
projects all over the island.
And they've been welcomed
with open arms. Despite
Jamaica's strong position with
U.S. and Canadian travelers,
Europe has been less consistent
in recent decades. Spain
has made a major commitment
to the island and there's
hope that this will lead to the
reopening of other European
markets.
Jamaica has benefited from
positive trends within the travel
industry that have in-effect
anointed the Caribbean a "safe
haven" in an otherwise troubled
world. In addition,
Jamaica's infrastructure
including its major airports
and new highways, that have
improved access to remote
parts of the island, have
encouraged investment. To
keep up the momentum, the
Jamaican Tourist Board
launched a new ad campaign
with the tagline, "Once You
Go, You Know", focusing on
the extraordinary diversity,
culture and charms of the
island - and designed to maintain
that growth of the
tourism industry.
Jamaica's tourism officials
estimate that overseas investment
will add more than 5,000
rooms to the island's inventory
by 2007. In 2004, Spain's
RIU group opened more than
800 rooms between two properties
in Negril, and they have
plans for a further 850 in Ocho
Rios in 2005. Sandals
Whitehouse on the south
coast, with 80 suites among its
360 rooms, welcomed its first
guests in February. The Sunset
Resort Group will launch
Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort
(formerly Renaissance Jamaica
Grande) with 720 rooms, while
Negril Cabins is open under
the new name Sunset at the
Palms Resort & Spa. Country
Country in Negril, acquired by
the owners of the Coyaba
Resort, adds six rooms to the
existing 14 this winter with
another 50 expected by 2006;
while a new SuperClubs hotel,
Rooms on the Beach (formerly
Club Jamaica) opens in
November with 104 rooms and
suites.
Other major projects underway
or in the works include:
Rose Hall Expansion
In 2004 Prime Minister P J
Patterson broke ground for a
US$850 million hotel project
in the Rose Hall area of St
James, just beyond the
Wyndham. It is a joint venture
between Rose Hall
Developments Limited and
Iberostar, a Spanish hotel
chain that presently operates
in the Dominican Republic,
United States, Spain, Greece
and Turkey. According to
chairman of the Iberostar
Group, Miguel Fluxa, his
company will be constructing
three hotels over a five-year
period, resulting in 950 new
rooms at Rose Hall. These
properties will cater mainly to
Europeans. Iberostar will
spend US$200 million in the
first phase, to construct a
350-room hotel that is scheduled
to be on the market and
ready for business in winter
2006. The hotel will feature,
among other things a swim-up
bar, a
theatre bar and cigar bar.
Rose Hall Developments and
the Resort Properties Group
announced plans in mid-
February 2005 for The
Palmyra Resort & Spa at Rose
Hall, located next to the Ritz-
Carlton on 16 acres of pristine
waterfront. The Palmyra will
stretch along one-half mile of
Caribbean ocean and includes
26 villas and 504 one-, twoand
three-bedroom condominium
units. "This is the last
of the great beachfront properties,"
said Robert T. Trotta,
moving force behind the
Resort Properties Group. "The
Palmyra presents the perfect
occasion to create a sustainable,
luxury community that
celebrates the island's
resources through architecture,
amenities and experience.
We're pleased to offer a
ground floor real estate opportunity
in a culturallyunmatched
seaside haven."
Groundbreaking for the first
phase of development, consisting
of two condo buildings, the
Palmyra E'SPA, infinity pool
and beach is set for spring
2005, with the project reaching
completion in late 2006.
Also under construction are
the 'Shoppes at Rose Hall', an
upscale shopping, dining and
entertainment complex.
Trelawny Development
The most ambitious project
underway in Jamaica is the
US$1.2 billion Harmony Cove
development located between
Ocho Rios and Montego Bay.
This 1,400-acre beachfront
property will include three
major luxury hotels, three
themed boutique resorts, two
golf courses, more than 200
exclusive residential homes
(manors and villas), upwards
of 200,000 square feet of retail,
dining and entertainment
space, as well as a world-class,
300-slip marina and private
airstrip at Braco. Rumours
have even circulated that
Donald Trump, is looking to
secure a licence from the
Government to operate a casino
in Harmony Cove. Other
projects in Trelawny parish
include, AM Resorts four
hotels that will create 1,700
rooms and Grupo Pinero's
three new hotels totaling
1,800 rooms in nearby St.
Anne.
I love Lucea
Prime Minister P J Patterson
announced in 2004 that plans
are well advanced for the
acquisition of a property on the
eastern side of the Lucea harbour
in Hanover for the construction
of a 1,500-room fivestar
hotel by yet another
Spanish hotel chain. Patterson
also confirmed that design
work for the construction of
the Lucea Shipping Pier was
progressing satisfactorily, and
that negotiations were taking
place for the acquisition of a
parcel of land to facilitate the
development; this would
include a cruise ship facility. "I
am sure that the development
of this part of Hanover between
the harbour and the hotel
makes progress for Lucea and
its environs irreversible," said
the prime minister.
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