Following the 2017 launch of its first hotel in Mexico’s Riviera Maya, UNICO is set to open its second property in Jamaica. The all-inclusive, adults-only resort will have 451 rooms when it opens. Jamaica Minister of Tourism Hon. Edmund Bartlett signaled the groundbreaking as the start of what he termed “a new perspective in tourism development in Jamaica.”
UNICO 18°77° Hotel Montego Bay will be joined by other brands, including a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino for which ground will also be broken soon. The hotel will be the second brand under the RCD Hotels banner locally; RCD Hotels has developments in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and the United States. According to RCD Hotels, "location is at the heart of the [UNICO] experience," hence the longitude and latitude of the region in its hotel names. Through Local Host Service, guests can avail of insider's guide into the local scene, restaurant, tour, golf and spa reservations, and planning special events or occasions.
All guestrooms will have direct ocean-views; semi-private swim-up pools will be available on all ground-floor rooms, while outdoor "hydro spa tubs" will be included with all remaining rooms. Double rooms will have two king beds, a first in the destination. Accommodations also include an in-room mini bar stocked by guest preference, a Nespresso coffee machine, free hi-speed Wi-Fi, 24-hour room service and more.
The development has been welcomed by Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness and Minister Bartlett as an investment not only in tourism but in the people of Jamaica. The monetary value of the investment has not been disclosed, as the developers said it is a family policy not to do so.
The nearly 2,500 rooms that comprise the two hotels are just a fraction of the 8,000 that Minister Bartlett said would be opening on the island in the next two to five years. Making up part of that difference are a 2,000-room Princess Hotel in Hanover, the 260-room Sandals Dunn’s River in Ocho Rios, and a 700-room RIU property in Falmouth.
Reporting on the island’s recovery since the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister Bartlett said that through November 24, visitor arrivals for the year so far showed a 97 percent recovery on 2019 figures, while revenue is up 20 percent above 2019 levels.
UNICO 18°77° Hotel Montego Bay does not yet have a scheduled opening date.
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