Hyatt is expanding its footprint among Aruba hotels.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has entered into a management agreement with Pelca Development for a Hyatt Place Hotel within the Aruba Airport Business Center in Oranjestad.

The 116-room hotel will be the island’s first Hyatt Place, adjacent to the Reina Beatrix International Airport. Hyatt already has a Hyatt Regency on the island’s Palm Beach.

“We are delighted to be working with Pelca Development V.B.A. to bring the first Hyatt Place hotel to Aruba,” said Camilo Bolaños, vice president of development and real estate – Latin America and Caribbean, Hyatt. “Hyatt Place hotels combine style, innovation and 24/7 amenities to create a seamless stay with modern comforts. Ease of access and connectivity to Aruba’s business areas and tourist attractions, in addition to convenient proximity to the airport will help establish Hyatt Place Aruba Airport as a preferred lodging option for business and leisure travelers seeking convenience.”

Hyatt Place Aruba Airport will be set on a 2.1-acre mixed-used development also containing 21,000 square feet of office space, along with an 8,000-square-foot food court, retail shops and car rental facilites.

The property is projected to open in late 2018, slated to become the fourth Hyatt place in the Caribbean, and the first in the region outside of Puerto Rico.

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One of the Caribbean’s unique private island resorts is for sale.

The quirky, castaway-chic Young Island Resort, set just off the coast of St. Vincent, is listed or sale for $10 million USD with Sotheby’s International Realty.

The 12.6-acre island includes 29 private guest cottages scattered around the island, along with a floating beach bar.

The property, which has been under the same ownership for 33 years, has long been the top hotel in “mainland” St. Vincent, recently boosted by the opening of the island’s first international airport, Argyle International Airport.

The pool at the Duvernette Suite.

The resort, accessed by a charming small ferry service across the bay, includes a pool, a spa, the Captain Bligh Lounge and Bar and a series of outdoor dining kiosks.

The rustic but charming cottages range from smaller units near the beach to hillside units, some with outdoor showers.

The flagship unit is the Duvernette Suite, a two-bedroom villa-style cottage on the hillside.

The hotel is operational – meaning you can still book a stay before anything changes.

See the full listing here.

— CJ

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Low-cost carrier Norwegian continues to show strong traffic growth, according to the company’s latest monthly report.

Norwegian carried more than 2.9 million passengers in May, an increase of 11 percent compared to the same month in 2016.

The carrier has been rapidly expanding, particularly to the Caribbean, with new routes to Martinique, Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico in recent years.

“We are very pleased to see that more passengers chose to fly Norwegian. Our international growth continues, in line with the company’s global strategy, enabling us to create more jobs,” said Norwegian CEO Bjørn Kjos.

A total of 2,923,597 passengers chose to fly with Norwegian in May, 281,931 more than the same period last year. Total traffic growth (RPK) increased by 17 per cent, while the capacity growth increased by 19 per cent.

— CJ Staff

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Southwest Airlines is adding another new Caribbean destination.

The fast-expanding carrier is planning to launch new nonstop service between Fort Lauderdale and Providenciales, Turks and Caicos beginning Nov. 5.

Southwest Chairman and CEO Gary Kelly made the announcement in a news conference this week as part of a preview for the carrier’s $333 million revitalization and expansion of Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport’s Terminal 1, slated to debut this summer.

“These new gates, additional border screening capacity, and the arts and flavor of South Florida will be a hit with hundreds of thousands of Southwest’s local Customers who prefer our all-in friendliness and value,” said Kelly. “In offering access to the network of America’s largest carrier1, we also bring Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood a bolder shade of blue, where two bags fly free for everyone, where no one pays a change fee*, with purposed policies rooted in the spirit of no surprises.”

The daily Turks and Caicos flights will be a significant new option for travelers looking to head to the Turks and Caicos, with flights starting at $59 one way — easily the cheapest flights to the destination on any carrier.

The Sands at Grace Bay.

It’s the latest airlift boost for the Turks and Caicos islands, which last year saw new service out of Fort Lauderdale on JetBlue.

Looking for places to stay in Turks and Caicos? Check out our recent feature on The Sands at Grace Bay and a list of great Turks and Caicos beach bars to check out.

– CJ Staff

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The Caribbean saw a slight increase in tourist arrivals in the first quarter, helped significantly by continued strong growth from Cuba, according to the latest numbers from the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

The region reported 8.7 million international tourist arrivals in the first quarter, a 1.8 percent increase over 2016, although that was led by strong numbers from Cuba and the Dominican Republic, the region’s two largest tourism destinations by volume, according to new CTO Chairman Dionisio D’Aguilar, the Bahamas’ Minister of Tourism.

The region did show improvement out of Canada, with a 4.8 percent increase in arrivals, after a sluggish 2016 from the country.

Cruise passenger arrivals showed a 4.5 percent increase, with about 10 million arrivals overall.

— CJ Staff

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