Exclusive: Four Seasons, JW Marriott to Officially Expand to Puerto Rico

NEW YORK CITY, New York -- Luxury Travel Advisor sat down with several Puerto Rico tourism representatives Wednesday and learned that the destination will be adding its first JW Marriott by 2016 and its first Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts property within two to three years, says Milton Segarra, president & CEO of Meet Puerto Rico.

Segarra told us the destination's first-ever Four Seasons will be built on the East Coast of Puerto Rico, just 10-15 minutes away from El Conquistador, A Waldorf Astoria Resort.

Although he didn't have an exact room count, he told us he expects the hotel to have between 200-300 rooms. Segarra says groundbreaking on the hotel will commence before the end of the year. The hotel is expected to be completed roughly 24-30 months after groundbreaking begins, says Segarra.

"The luxury market in Puerto Rico is different than it's ever been before. There is just so much buzz about the luxury in Puerto Rico," says Mary Jo Laborde, deputy executive director for marketing for the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. "It's almost like a rebirth of the destination."

Clarisa Jimenez, president and CEO of the Puerto Rico Hotel & Tourism Association, told Luxury Travel Advisor that the destination will also be home to its first JW Marriott by 2016. The building will be right next door to the Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, a property that has seen an incredible amount of buzz from the agent community since it opened in 2012.

"To have these two properties standing side by side will create just a phenomenal presence in Puerto Rico," says Segarra. "JW is a brand that is internationally recognized but the American traveler specifically feels like these brands (JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton) are the most advanced."

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