Courtyard Marriott Kingston is all business, starting October 2
Published:Wednesday | July 15, 2015 | 8:11 PMNeville Graham
Bookings are already coming in for Courtyard Marriott Kingston, which will take in its first guests on October 2.
General Manager Koen Hietbrink says when the hotel officially opens later this year, it will be strictly business. That is to say, the hotel will be going mainly after the business traveller segment of the market.
"We did the studies and we realised that this is the ideal place to put a Courtyard Marriott. With this brand, we want to cater to the business traveller and so everything we are doing and setting up is geared towards that," Hietbrink said on Wednesday during a tour of the property.
The 129-room hotel is being developed by Pan-Jamaican Investment Trust and two partners. Construction began in July 2013, with only the finishing touches remaining.
The cost of construction will end up at about US$23.7 million, according to Pan-Jam CEO and Chairman Stephen Facey. The New Kingston hotel will become the seventh Courtyard by Marriott in the Caribbean. There are more than 4,000 Marriott-affiliated hotels operating worldwide under 19 brands.
Courtyard Marriott Kingston's senior sales manager, Marlene Buckeridge, says the hotel will be targeting the 'millennial' business traveller.
"The millennials are a group that like to be connected and they move at a fast pace. They also like functionality and adaptability. That is why we have put in amenities like Wi-Fi in all rooms and in our lobby downstairs. We also have entertainment systems and modular furniture that can be put to multiple uses," Buckeridge said.
The property, located at 1 Park Close in New Kingston, features three meeting rooms spanning a total of 1,900 square feet, and a restaurant that seats 120 persons. The lobby area will be dedicated to the working traveller with appropriate furniture and small meeting places.
Standard rooms are just over 700 square feet. There will only be four suites, each over 1,200 square feet.
The hotel will open at special rates covering months of October and November, which Buckeridge quoted as US$179 per night for a room that can accommodate up to four persons.