By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines has quietly become the fastest-growing airline in the Caribbean so far in 2019.

And this week, the carrier was at it again, launching a pair of new nonstop routes to the island of Puerto Rico in another boost for the destination’s tourism recovery.

Spirit Airlines has launched two new daily routes, from both Tampa International Airport and Baltimore-Washington Airport to San Juan’s Luis Munoz Marin International Airport.

Spirit is operating both routes on its182-seat A320 aircraft.

“At the Puerto Rico Tourism Company we are extremely pleased with the dynamic expansion plan being implemented with Spirit Airlines Puerto Rico as a destination,” said Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Carla Campos. “This increase in service by Spirit involves an increase in capacity of 132,860 seats annually, contributing significantly to the growth of our air service, which responds to our commitment to expand capacity in the area of air access and diversifying supply to attract visitors to the island.”

PRTC estimates that the new routes will generate an additional annual impact of $57.7 million to the economy of Puerto Rico as a result of increased arrivals.

Old San Juan.

“We are very proud to be serving to Puerto Rico since 2001 and we are excited to be expanding here again,” said Mark Kopczak, Vice President of Network Planning Spirit Airlines. “We are convinced that these new routes from Tampa and Baltimore will provide greater convenience to our guests with more flights from ultra low rates nonstop.”

It also means easier access to beach destinations like Cabo Rojo.

The new flights come as the island’s tourism sector is in the midst of a renaissance in the wake of 2017’s devastating hurricanes.

But cruise traffic has returned and, more importantly, airlift has come back to near pre-Hurricane Maria levels.

The new OLV Fifty Five.

And new development is underway too, most notably the high-profile debut of the ultra-chic OLV Fifty Five hotel in hip Condado at the end of 2018.

Another new hotel, the all-inclusive Candelero Beach Resort, also recently made its debut.

– CJ

The post Spirit’s New Daily Nonstop Flights Puerto to Rico appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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“We Puerto Ricans are at the bottom of … , 1931, in Yabucoa, in southeastern Puerto Rico, to Jose Maria Neco Arroyo … of the first wave of Puerto Rican migration to the United States … II, and by the 1970s, Puerto Ricans accounted for more than 10 …

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

InterContinental Hotels Group has added a boutique luxury brand to its burgeoning global portfolio.

IHG has paid $300 million for all of Six Senses’ brands and operating companies, a portfolio that includes 16 hotels and another 18 management contracts in the pipeline.

The latter features several in the Caribbean, including Range Developments’ new project in St Kitts.

It also includes Six Senses’ vast spa operations, which includes 37 spas under the Six Senses and LivNordic brands, one of which is at the Puntacana Resort and Club in the Dominican Republic.

IHG said Six Senses would sit “at the top of IHG’s luxury portfolio,” complementing its Kimpton and Regent brands.

“Six Senses is an outstanding brand in the top-tier of luxury and one we’ve admired for some time,” said Keith Barr, CEO at IHG. “You only have to look at its iconic hotels and resorts to see how this acquisition will further round out our luxury offer. With a focus on wellness and sustainability, Six Senses has been voted the world’s top hotel brand for the past two years, which is testament to its impressive management team who bring deep experience to IHG’s luxury operations.”

The deal with Pegasus Capital Advisors was an all-cash transaction, according to a statement.

The post IHG Pays $300 Million for Six Senses appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Marriott has kicked off 2019 with a new addition in the Caribbean.

The travel giant’s Renaissance Hotels brand has officially debuted its new Renaissance Cancun Resort and Marina, anchoring the new marina in Puerto Cancun.

The 180-room Mexican Caribbean property, which Marriott is describing as a “lifestyle resort,” is the new centerpiece of the Puerto Cancun development, a project that includes a Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course, a shopping center, eateries, movie theaters and the largest marina in the area.

A pool with a view.

The sleek hotel was designed by Estudio Lemus Arquitecetos in conjunction with idea Asociados.

“We have been on a journey to evolve our hotels’ design to reflect what the Renaissance brand offers today: a sense of clever theatricality and an open invitation to experience something a little unexpected during our guests’ travels,” said George Fleck, Vice President of Global Brand Marketing and Management at Renaissance.  “We are  thrilled to celebrate Renaissance Cancún Resort and Marina and its spontaneous high-low design that embraces the DNA of the locale and gives guests a new sense of the destination.”

The “whimsical” design includes everything from underground art by local urban artists to an aesthetic inspired by the Mayan underworld of “Xibalba.”

The bathrooms are filled with personality.

“Just as the Mayan underworld is a universe worth discovering, Renaissance Cancún Resort & Marina is a space full of stories waiting to be told,” said Karina Zuñiga, General Manager.  “Stories that will awake the explorer within us, when we allow ourselves to be inspired by the unexpected.” 

Tom Weiskopf, best known in the Caribbean for Paradise Island’s Ocean Club course, designed the championship track.

Dining concepts range from the Merotoro restaurant, with a focus on the cuisine of Baja California, Mexico led by Chef Jair Tellez to the Nuup Deli Cafe coffee shop to the locally-inspired Kaajal Restaurant.

That’s alongside the flagship Zek Bar, helmed by a DJ.

The Merotoro restaurant.

It’s a new kind of property for Renaissance, whose Caribbean portfolio has been focused on urban centers like those in Willemstad, Curacao and Oranjestad, Aruba.

The new Cancun outpost, set about 10 minutes from the city center, is a new look is a bit of a new personality for the brand, a bit more hip, a bit more like one of Marriott’s other brands: W.

It’s also an important step for Puerto Cancun, which has been years in development but in need of a flagship hotel.

Now, the highly-anticipated entertainment center of Cancun has a major new place to stay.

For more, visit Renaissance Cancun Resort.

— CJ

The post Marriott Opens Renaissance Cancun Resort appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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February 13, 2019
Puerto Rico’s electric grid would … Feb. 12 by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority.
The 20 … must be vetted by the Puerto Rico Energy Commission, also calls … Stephen Spears, president of the Puerto Rico chapter of the Associated General …

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