Throughout the Maya world, developers both large and small,
international and local, are expressing their faith in the region's
tourism future by investing in new projects. In addition to the
many eco-lodge-type facilities that are enhancing travelers'
accommodations choices in the region, a number of major hotel
developments are in the works.
Several of these are concentrated in the fast-growing Tulum
Corridor south of Cancun, an area which at least one tour operator
is using as a gateway for trips to points further south in the Maya
world. Following are selected highlights of these and other
developments in Mundo Maya.
As a result of a joint venture launched last year with Grupo
Real in San Salvador, El Salvador, Inter-Continental Hotels and
Resorts is expanding its presence in the Mundo Maya region. Late
last year, the former Camino Real in San Salvador, a 228-room
property, was converted to the Camino Real Inter-Continental San
Salvador.In December 1997, Inter-Continental Hotels and Resorts marked
the grand opening of an all-new property in Honduras -- the
150-room Camino Real Inter-Continental Hotel San Pedro Sula.
Another Honduras property under construction, the 150-room Camino
Real Inter-Continental Hotel Tegucigalpa, is slated to open in
December 1999.Sol Melia Hotels assumed management of the former Las Americas
Hotel in Guatemala City in April. The 194-room property, now the
Melia Guatemala, is located five minutes from Guatemala's airport
and convenient to Guatemala City's museum and theater
district.Also in Guatemala City, the former El Dorado came under the
Marriott banner in December 1997. Marriott is marking the debut of
the 467-room Guatemala City Marriott Hotel this September with an
official grand opening.In Mexico, Sol Melia was planning to begin construction this
summer on the 450-room Paradisus Tulum. Located in the Tulum
Corridor, the property will be an all-inclusive resort, offering
four restaurants, three bars, six tennis courts and more.The El Cid Group is planning a fall 1999 opening for the first
phase of El Cid Cancun, a $300 million mega-resort that eventually
will encompass 3,000 rooms and suites, private homes, a 300-yacht
marina, shopping center, botanical garden, an "ecotouristic" park
for wildlife preservation and a Maya museum.Phase one of the five-year plan includes a 250-room deluxe
Mediterranean-style hotel and the marina. The resort, which
developers say will incorporate the history and ecology of the
area, will be located in Puerto Morelos, about 10 minutes south of
Cancun's airport.
By the winter of 1999/2000, Fiesta Americana plans to open
three resorts in Mexico's State of Quintana Roo in the Riviera Maya
and Costa Maya tourism districts, both located south of Cancun in
the Cancun-Tulum corridor. The properties include the 250-room
Fiesta Americana Chemuyil, a $38 million property on 1.5 miles of
beachfront; the 80-room Fiesta Americana Costa Maya, an
all-inclusive beachfront resort that will offer various soft
adventure activities, and the 40-room Fiesta Americana Kohunlich,
an all-inclusive, low-density hotel located adjacent to the
archaeological zone.Allegro Resorts is building its first Royal Hideaways resort, a
luxury all-inclusive brand, in Playacar, on the coast of Mexico's
Yucatan Peninsula. Scheduled to open in December 1998, the property
will contain 200 rooms in two- and three-story villas and will
feature a daily activities program, fitness center, yoga classes,
spa, water sports and nightly entertainment.OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
In June, Belize opened the Museum of Belize and Curatorial
Center in Belmopan. The small museum displays archaeological
artifacts.In Honduras, a new Sculpture Museum that opened in Copan in
October 1997 has been temporarily closed while structural problems
are corrected. The anticipated reopening of the museum, which
contains original sculptures of the ancient Maya, is within about
six months.Long-term development projects in Honduras include the creation
of a major tourism zone in the Tela Bay area in the northern part
of the country. The plan envisions approximately 1,600 hotel and
condominium units contained in low-rise properties of 100- to
150-units each, beach facilities, an equestrian center and a water
fun park. Facilities will be located adjacent to an ecotourism zone
set aside for hiking, camping and other activities.Several archaeological projects under way in Honduras are
scheduled to open to the public within two or three years.
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Allegro Resorts: (800) 858-2258
El Cid: (888) 733-7308
Fiesta Americana: (800) FIESTA1
Inter-Continental: (800) 327-0200
Marriott: (800) 228-9290
Sol Melia Hotels: (800) 33-MELIA/(800) 336-3542