Sandals Resorts International (SRI) has announced a new partnership with Marriott International, Inc. to bring AC Hotels by Marriott to the Caribbean.
This is the first partnership between the hospitality companies and the first time SRI will manage a brand it did not create. Construction for the new AC Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica, the partnership’s debut project, gets underway this month and is slated to open winter 2019.
According to SRI CEO and Deputy Chairman Adam Stewart, the AC Kingston will offer 220 rooms, a 10,000-square foot conference center and full service restaurant.
Parking, often a challenge in Jamaica’s capital, will be plentiful with both valet and self-serve options. Plans call for the AC Kingston to be the centerpiece of an expansive, mixed-use development, located on the last five acres of prime Kingston real estate in the Jamaica House neighborhood, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Jamaica. It has been designed to attract both a local and international audience.
“There is a renewed energy in Kingston and everywhere the city trembles with purpose and productivity,” said Stewart in a written release. “We plan to capture this vitality, to create a destination within a destination, a place where world-class meetings and events happen alongside everyday occasions - from shopping and dining to salon services and cocktails with friends. With its emphasis on design and locally inspired experiences that elevate the guest’s stay, AC Hotels by Marriott is the right brand to bring our vision to life."
In addition to the new AC Kingston, development plans call for a modern BMW showroom, beauty and wellness salon, car rental facility and “The Avenue,” a promenade of indoor and outdoor event space and retail and dining outlets including a fine-dining sushi and seafood restaurant and a well-known coffee bar.
“The Avenue” will begin at the entrance and carry straight through to the conference center with staging areas along the way to accommodate planned and impromptu concerts.
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