Courtyard by Marriott to start bookings October
INTERNATIONALLY branded hotel Courtyard by Marriott will be opening its door for reservations come October.
The New Kingston-based hotel will be the seventh Courtyard in the Caribbean and is expected to set a high standard in Jamaica for energy conversation, water efficiency and overall environment sustainability under the certification of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Reservations will start at an introductory rate from US$179 per room per night.
General Manager of Courtyard Kingston, Koen Hietbrink, stated that the hotel is looking to recruit up to 70 full-time staff for its official opening later this year, and has partnered with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to offer employment for up to 50 locals under the Youth at Risk programme over the next few months.
Currently, the Courtyard by Marriot features 129 rooms including four suites, over 1,900 square feet of conference and meeting spaces, boardrooms, fitness centre and entertainment centre, media pods, outdoor pool, restaurant and parking accomodation for 80 vehicles throughout the 133,000- square-feet building.
“As part of an environmental sustainability initiative, systems are in place that recycle the shower water for toilet use and irrigation. All the furniture in the hotel are produced by local companies, and we intend to create new partnerships as we move forward,” Hietbrink stated during a media tour of the corporate market hotel on Wednesday.
Courtyard by Marriott was funded by a loan of US$6.75 million from the IDB and US$1 million in equity, as well as a US$5.3-million loan from the World Bank to Caribe Hospitality SA for the Caribe Hospitality Kingston programme. The total cost of the project is US$23.7 million.
The new establishment is expected to attract more international brands to Kingston after succesfully expanding its footprint into 50 countries.
Today, Marriott International’s presence in the Caribbean and Latin America is represented by 90 hotels in 27 countries and territories, offering more than 23,580 rooms under the brands Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance Hotels, Autograph Collection, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn & Suites Marriott Executive Apartments and Residence Inn by Marriott.
It’s two most recent hotels in the Caribbean are in Haiti and Guyana.