By the Caribbean Journal staff

Continuing its rapid Caribbean expansion, low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines has officially launched two new nonstop routes to the island of Jamaica.

Spirit’s new service includes nonstop routes from Orlando to both Kingston and Montego Bay.

The new Montego Bay flights will operate four times each week on Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

A beach in Montego Bay.

The new Kingston route will run three times a week, with service on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The new service continues what has been a big jump in airlift to Jamaica in the last year that has included almost 38,000 new annual seats to Jamaica from the United States, along with 12,000 new seats from Europe and an additional 42,400 seats from the Canadian market.

The routes strengthen both Jamaica’s traditional tourism hub of Montego Bay and its capital, Kingston, with the latter an area of increasing focus for the destination.

Half Moon in Jamaica.

Montego Bay has been seeing renewed interest in the travel industry of late, thanks to major transformation projects like that of the Half Moon Resort and the launch of the exciting new S Hotel in the heart of Montego Bay’s “hip strip.”

Kingston, on the other hand, has also been growing as one of the Caribbean’s leading urban destinations, one that will soon see the debut of a highly-anticipated new AC Marriott hotel, a joint venture between Marriott and Sandals.

Spirit has been on a massive growth push, particularly out of Orlando International Airport.

That expansion, first announced last year, has helped to position Orlando as yet another major Florida hub for Caribbean travel, with new service launched in the last six months to destinations including Puerto Rico, Cartagena, Colombia; Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras and Santo Domingo.

It all amounts to what has been the largest-ever expansion for Spirit, according to the company.

The post Spirit Launches Two New Nonstop Routes to Jamaica appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Hyatt’s signature Aruba hotel is planning several new additions this year, following a $21 million renovation project that concluded last year.

The second phase of the hotel’s transformation will see the renovation of the property’s beachfront space, highlighted by the introduction of a new beachside adults-only pool.

That will complement the hotel’s existing 8,000-square-foot, multi-level pool complex.

“The transformation of our beachfront space into a spectacular, multi-level pool will provide a relaxing escape where guests can lounge the day away in a more tranquil setting,” said Gabriel Castrillon, the Hyatt Regency Aruba’s newly-appointed general manager. “This beautiful design will be completely unique to Hyatt Regency Aruba and elevate our continued commitment to delivering a seamless, unforgettable experience for every type of traveler.”

Fort Lauderdale urban design firm EDSA is overseeing the project, which will completely remodel a 43,000-square-foot area of the hotel’s beachfront outdoor space.

That includes the addition of 10 new private pool cabanas, each of which will have its own private entrance, along with a stairway into the pool designed to “make guests feel as though they are floating on the water,” according to a statement.

“Our vision for Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa and Casino’s new adult pool is to incorporate beautiful accent walls with stark stone, create a lush landscape, and add other unique water features to give the space a formal yet comfortable feel,” said EDSA Principal Gregg Sutton. “The reimagined area will really wow guests, and further position the resort as a true destination with something for everyone.”

The project will begin in May.

— CJ

The post Hyatt Plans More Upgrades at Aruba Hotel appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Aviation titans Virgin Atlantic, Air France and KLM have launched their first-ever codeshare agreement.

The new agreement means new trans-Atlantic travel options from Europe to the Americas, including the Caribbean region.

It means travelers can “build their ideal trip” by combining flights operated by Air France, KLM, Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines, all on one booking reference.

And that of course means new options for European travelers looking to travel to the Caribbean, from the range of French and Dutch islands that Air France and KLM service to Virgin Atlantic’s strong network in the English-speaking Caribbean.

The codeshare comes as Virgin Atlantic, Delta and Air France-KLM will soon form an expanded joint venture later this year that will mean more than 300 daily trans-Atlantic flights and 340 destinations.

That joint venture was first announced in the summer of 2017.

— CJ

The post Virgin Atlantic, Air France, KLM Launch Codeshare appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

Two new high-profile all-inclusive hotels are coming to the island of Saint Lucia.

The properties, part of a larger hotel project called Canelles Resort, will include two Apple Leisure Group subsidiary AMResorts’ brands: Dreams and Zoetry.

Together, the two hotels will comprise 330 rooms, along with an adjacent real estate component with 380 residential units.

The two hotels will include eateries, bars, conference centers, a spa, children’s clubs and entertainment areas.

The famous Pitons in Saint Lucia.

Dreams is AMResorts’ high-end family-friendly all-inclusive brand, while its Zoëtry hotels offer more of a boutique wellness-focused experience.

The project, which was first announced in 2017, is slated to break ground later this year, the company told Caribbean Journal.

“Saint Lucia is a beautiful vacation destination,” said Ying Jin, chief executive officer of Caribbean Galaxy, the developer of the project. “WE are delighted to partner with Saint Lucia and with AMResorts to make this stunning resort a reality.”

It’s one of two projects in the region for Caribbean Galaxy at present, along with the in-construction Ramada by Wyndham St Kitts, which is slated for completion this September.

The new projects are part of a rapid regional expansion for AMResorts, which has more than 10,00 hotel rooms in its pipeline.

They also add to a burgeoning hotel pipeline in Saint Lucia, from Range Developments’ Black Bay project to a new Courtyard Marriott in Castries to a Hyatt-branded 400-room hotel coming to the northwest of the island.

The post Two New All-Inclusive Hotels Are Coming to Saint Lucia appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… s making its comeback. Discover Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico’s new destination marketing organization … including key members of Puerto Rico Tourism Company and Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism … the establishment of Puerto Rico’s first-ever DMO, Puerto Rico has an …

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