The Azul Blue Hotel & Spa, the newest and most exclusive property from Karisma, is now ready to swing its doors wide open on November 1 in Mexico’s Mayan Riviera, one of the country’s finest travel circuits. With just 96 suites, the hotel is intimate and progressive, featuring dedicated butler-service, the most complete spa on the Mayan Riviera and in-suite iPods.

The Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort in Ponce, Puerto Rico, opened its expanded casino on September 30. The $1 million expansion project added 4,000 square feet to the facility, which now measures 11,600 square feet, making it the largest gaming facility on Puerto Rico’s south coast.

El Catey International Airport, a 20-minute drive from the town of Samana on the Dominican Republic´s Atlantic coast, is scheduled to be fully operational in early November. In anticipation of the new airport, which will be capable of handling jet aircraft, several five-star properties also will open their doors this fall.

Marriott International, Inc. celebrated this week the official reopening of the JW Marriott Cancun Resort & Spa and the Casa Magna Marriott Cancun Resort after last year´s Hurricane Wilma. Marriott President and Chief Operating Officer William J. Shaw, along with Felix Arturo Gonzales Canto, governor of the state of Quintana Roo, and other Marriott executives, associates and distinguished guests, were on hand to mark the re-opening of the JW Marriott and Casa Magna Marriott resorts.

Effective October 1, Secrets Excellence Riviera Cancun, a luxury all-inclusive property in Cancun, Mexico, will no longer be part of the Secrets Resorts & Spa brand, which is part of the AMResorts collection. AMResorts’ three brands are Secrets Resorts & Spas, Dreams Resorts & Spas and Sunscape Resorts & Spas, which include three properties in the Dominican Republic and six in Mexico.

The 13,000-square-foot oceanfront Larimar Spa at the Radisson Aruba Resort & Casino opened September 25, featuring nine treatment rooms offering a diverse menu of spa services; a fitness center facing the sea; and a full-service salon. The $5.2 million facility is a stand-alone structure with breakout areas that include a central courtyard and private terraces.