JW Marriott Hotel San Salvador, El Salvador | Marriott
Marriott International, Inc. has announced that it will be opening and signing rooms in the Caribbean and Latin America region (CALA) during 2024. In 2024, the company signed 67 agreements that represented approximately 8,000 hotel rooms. Marriott will add 30 new properties to the CALA portfolio in 2024. This brings its total number of open hotels to 528 across 37 different countries.
Marriott’s CALA growth was remarkable in 2024, thanks to strong interest from owners, new brand extensions, and market entry. We are in a strong position to maintain this momentum with our 228 million Marriott Bonvoy Members worldwide and extensive portfolio of brands. Our well-established brand portfolio, our competitive affiliation cost, our powerful revenue-generating engines, and our award-winning program are attracting interest across the Caribbean and Latin America region.
In 2024, conversions will account for 32% of all room bookings at CALA. 36 properties representing 2,600 rooms are in the pipeline. The region’s hoteliers and developers continued to take advantage of the benefits and efficiency of renovating or rebranding their existing properties. Marriott Bonvoy now has more than 30 leading global brands in its portfolio.
In October of last year, Marriott celebrated the 500th hotel in CALA. This was the Almare Resort – a Luxury collection resort, Isla mujeres Adult All Inclusive. Marriott will have 528 properties open in the area by 2024. This represents 92,736 hotel rooms. Marriott had a pipeline of 183 CALA properties, representing 27,817 room, at year’s end. This is expected to enhance Marriott’s presence in all segments including all-inclusives, luxury and affordable midscale hotels, as well as apartment style accommodations through Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy.
Laurent de Kousemaeker is the chief development officer for Caribbean and Latin America at Marriott International. He said, “Our expansion continues in the Caribbean and Latin America shows the strength of our portfolio of brands, and commitment to provide unparalleled hospitality in this vibrant region.” As we work with owners and developers to build new resorts and hotels in these fascinating destinations, Marriott International looks forward to welcoming more guests.
Luxury
Marriott has increased its luxury portfolio through a number of agreements. It signed 11 deals that represent 5,889 luxury rooms, and the pipeline now includes 38 luxury properties. The St. Regis Papagayo Resort in Costa Rica, The Ritz-Carlton Playa Jackson Hotel & Residences Dominican Republic, and Bvlgari Hotels and Resorts cave Cay Exuma Bahamas are among the recent signings.
Marriott welcomed new properties from the Caribbean coasts to Aruba in 2025. These include The St. Regis Aruba Resort at Aruba’s Palm Beach, Paraiso de la Bonita Adult-Only All-Inclusive Resort in Riviera Maya and Nekajui a Ritz Carlton Reserve in Costa Rica. Marriott expects to welcome a number of luxurious properties in the coming months, offering travelers a variety of experiences. Salterra, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa in Turks & Caicos is expected to open in March, St. Regis Punta Cana will be opening in April, and W Punta Cana, the first W Hotel all-inclusive in the world, in May.
All-Inclusive
Marriott entered the all-inclusive industry in 2019. Since then, it has grown its portfolio to include 36 properties in CALA. These are located in nine countries: Mexico (Riviera & Cancun), Jamaica Barbados Antigua & Barbuda St Lucia Costa Rica Dominican Republic Grenada Brazil. Marriott announced that it would open Marriott Cancun An All-Inclusive resort in July 2024. This will be the first Marriott Hotels all-inclusive hotel. The expansion of the flagship Marriott brand continues in Dominican Republic with the opening of Miches Marriott All-Inclusive Resort.
In total, the pipeline comprises 19 properties worldwide (7,800 room), 15 of which (5,800 room) are CALA. The segment represents 21 percent of CALA’s pipeline rooms. In 2025, it is also expected that the Elegant Hotels collection in Barbados including Treasure Beach The House and Tamarind will join the Autograph Collection. In the same region, several other all-inclusive hotels are also scheduled to open by 2029.
City Express Expansion
Marriott strengthened its midscale brand, City Express by Marriott after acquiring the City Express portfolio in 2023. By the end 2024 City Express by Marriott had 153 properties open (17,777 room) and 53 in development (5,673 room).
City Express by Marriott signed global deals in 2024 that represent 3,900 rooms. 12 of these deals (1200 rooms) took place in CALA. City Express by Marriott operates 152 properties across the CALA area, with 17,694 rooms, and another 24 in development (2,660).
Eight new City Express by Marriott properties are expected to be opened in the United States and Canada between 2025-2028. The company plans to open City Express by Marriott hotels in Canada and the United States of America, as well as expand its portfolio into Brazil, starting with 2025.
Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Lead Markets
Marriott’s CALA Region continues to be dominated by Costa Rica and Dominican Republic as key markets for growth. The company has signed 10 agreements in Costa Rica in 2024 that represent 1,086 hotel rooms. This brings the total number of properties in Costa Rica to 15, or 1,776. Marriott had 22 properties in Costa Rica open across 15 brands at the end of last year. One more is expected to be opened in 2025. This includes Nekajui, an Ritz-Carlton Residences and Reserve, which has just been unveiled. The company opened 20 properties in the Dominican Republic across 12 brands in 2024 and has signed 5 deals for 955 rooms. This gives a total of 23 deals with 3,966 room in the pipeline. Four Points Santo Domingo will open in January 2025. The company also expects Donoma Beach Hotel & Spa and The St. Regis Punta Cana to be opened later that year.
