The Marriott International presence will expand in Curacao with the opening of the 240-room Renaissance Resort Curacao in Willemstad, under a franchise agreement with Riffort Village N.V. The hotel is expected to open in 2008 and will be the fifth Marriott International branded property in the Netherlands Antilles. The hotel will be a component of a larger retail and entertainment complex currently being developed at Riffort Village at the entrance to St. Anna Bay and adjacent to the cruise port. The site offers impressive views of Willemstad´s old town quarter.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers´ latest forecast, average daily rates (ADR) per occupied room at U.S. hotels will rise by 5.6 percent in the course of 2006. The percent increase is even larger than the 5.3 percent increase Smith Travel Research reported for 2005. “Although the national average rate of increase of 5.6 percent is high, the increases in many cities, including New York, San Francisco, Honolulu, Boston and others, will be even higher, maybe 7 to more than 10 percent”, says Bjorn Hanson, Ph.D. and partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers Hospitality & Leisure practice. “Also, guests will see even larger increases during peak periods.”

Sunset Resorts´ three inclusive properties in Jamaica –offering a total of more than 1,200 rooms- renovated and expanded the facilities and amenity offerings at all three properties this winter. Two new restaurants opened at Sunset at the Palms in Negril –the Lotus Leaf a la carte restaurant, featuring a fusion menu with an Asian flair, and the Beach Bar & Grill, which serves tropical drinks and jerk chicken, burgers and fries.

The Wight Group is teaming up with Fairmont to manage a planned mixed-use luxury resort development on the west coast of North Caicos in the Turks & Caicos Islands. The Wight Group has targeted 2009 for the resort opening. Fairmont will manage the 150-room resort, a 150-room condo hotel, several Fairmont branded residential developments, a Willow Stream spa and a championship golf course.

Barceló Hotels & Resorts announced today its plans to officially reopen the Barceló Tucancun Beach hotel in Mexico´s Cancun on April 22. The four-star, upscale, all-inclusive resort has been temporarily closed since Hurricane Wilma. During the rebuilding phase the hotel is undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation and remodeling that includes a new reception area and lobby bar, as well as new restaurants, a new swimming pool and deck area, and a new lounge area with hammocks for guests to enjoy the Caribbean view.

The 307-room Grand Cayman Marriott Beach Resort is back in full operation, following a $15 million renovation project to repair Hurricane Ivan damage in 2004. All rooms now offer high-speed wireless Internet, balconies and marble bathrooms; the La Mer Spa added 1,500 square feet, including four treatment rooms and a couples suite with a Jacuzzi; and meetings facilities also were expanded by 4,500 square feet.