Starwood Hotels & Resorts, already a strong brand in the Caribbean, plans to bolster its presence even further with the opening of three properties in Puerto Rico.
Openings will include Starwood's first W and St. Regis properties on the island as well as Starwood's second Sheraton. The three hotels will join Starwood's three existing properties in Puerto Rico: the Sheraton Old San Juan; Four Points by Sheraton Caquas Real Hotel & Casino, 20 minutes south of San Juan; and Four Points by Sheraton Resort & Casino at Palmas Del Mar, east of San Juan.
These openings fly in the face of other hotel companies whose developments have stalled or been postponed this year due to the economic climate.
Paul Sacco, Starwood's senior vice president of development for North America, said Puerto Rico's temperate climate and its proximity to gateway cities in the U.S., Mexico and South America made it "an extremely attractive growth market for Starwood and our proven development partners."
The Sheraton Puerto Rico Convention Center Hotel, the first full-service hotel and casino built in San Juan in the last 10 years, will serve as the anchor property for the adjacent Puerto Rico Convention Center. The 503-room property officially opens Nov. 16.
The 157-room W Retreat and Spa-Vieques Island, off the east coast of Puerto Rico, will debut in the first quarter of 2010 on the site of the former Martineau Bay Resort, following a $100 million renovation.
The opening date, originally set for this month, had to be pushed back due to construction delays, said Graeme Davis, Starwood's vice president of operations for South Florida and the Caribbean.
Scheduled to open next fall is the St. Regis Resort and Residences Bahia Beach, east of San Juan. The $172 million resort will have 139 guestrooms and suites and 25 private residences.
