Mandarin Oriental Resort Planned in Puerto Rico

The governor of Puerto Rico, Anibal Acevedo Vila, announced plans for the construction of a Mandarin Oriental resort in the town of Palmas del Mar. The resort is scheduled to open in 2011 after a $300 million investment; the property is also the eighth five-star hotel to begin development on the island in the past four years. The Mandarin Oriental Palmas del Mar Resort & Spa will feature 186 rooms.

The development of the Mandarin Oriental Palmas del Mar Resort & Spa brings the total of new hotel rooms on the island to 6,164, surpassing the goal of 5,000 new hotel rooms set by the governor at the start of his administration. In spite of the current economic outlook in many parts of the world, specifically the U.S., the development of these properties is part of an aggressive effort to sustain the recent growth in travel to the island.

“The development of this new property on our island’s East-Central region is part of an effort to decentralize tourism from our major cities and direct the attention of travelers and investors to other destinations that offer natural beauty,” the executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Terestella Gonzalez Denton, noted.

Other five-star properties that have begun construction in Puerto Rico are the Condado Vanderbilt in San Juan; the Regent Punta Candelero in Humacao; Bahia Beach, St. Regis in Rio Grande; JW Marriott and W Martineau Bay in Vieques; the Fairmont at Cerromar; and the Ritz Carlton in Dorado.