The exclusive Cap Cana Residential Compound being built in the Dominican Republic will get its grand opening this month, sources close to the project informed this week.
Cap Cana –owned by Abrisa, an international consortium- features 6,177 acres of land, plus nearly 5 miles of unexplored beaches where construction of several hotels, villas, apartments and condos is now underway.
Puerto Rican authorities ordered Marriott Courtyard, the American hotel company, to stop the construction of a new resort in Carolina Beach, next to San Juan, citing possible illegal groundbreaking works on the premises.
The Guidelines and Permits Administration (GPA) warned the U.S. megabuck company could face fines if it fails to abide by the order.
The St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) is calling on Government for a better tax deal, which should involve the revamping of the tax regime.
While acknowledging that tourism has considerable potential to act as the main engine of St. Lucia´s social and economic development and should be treated as a strategic development priority, the Government has in the past two budget presentations announced increased taxes on travel and tourism.
The Spanish chain RIU Hotels and Resorts is opening a new Palace-level property, its highest grade of resort, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, in 2006. The new, upscale RIU Palace Riviera Maya will join 14 other Palace properties in operation worldwide and a 15th also under development in Punta Cana, Domincan Republic.
Club Med also announced plans to open a third Mexican resort, most likely on the Yucatan peninsula, in the near future. Club Med officials in Paris said the property, to be geared to the upscale family market, could either be opened in an acquired, existing Yucatan-area resort or built from the ground up. No target opening date has been set.
With an eye aimed squarely at the teenage market (ages 14 to 17), Club Med has opened The Ramp at the Club Med Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and will also debut it at the chain´s family properties in Ixtapa, Mexico, and Sandpiper, Florida, by the end of the year.
The Ramp, a collaboration between the Coca-Cola Co. and Rockwell Group designers, is a two-story, open-air lounge that serves as a place for teens to hang out, skateboard, rollerblade and escape parental supervision.
The 196-room Hilton Curacao became the first Caribbean venue for the Hilton International-owned Livingwell Health Club brand in earlier March.
Facilities at the resort´s renovated and expanded health and fitness club, now called Livingwell Health and Beach Club, include two tennis courts, three pools, two beach areas and a 2,000-square-foot fitness center with a range of workout equipment and exercise classes.