Meeting News - April 20, 2009 - (Page 20)

Destination Insider: Caribbean By William Ng william.ng@nielsen.com Convention Center for Jamaica’s Rose Hall Infrastructure activity continues to boom in the Rose Hall enclave on Jamaica’s northwestern coast. The latest development, following several resort projects, is the Montego Bay Convention Centre, which broke ground in mid-February and is expected to open around October 2010. Given a $51 million loan by a Chinese state bank to finance construction, Jamaica’s government has earmarked a 35-acre land parcel— across the Shoppes at Rose Hall—for a facility intended to accommodate meetings, conferences, and trade shows. In addition to 50,000 sf of exhibition space and 11,000 sf of meeting space, the center will have a 20,000-sf banquet facility for receptions, sit-down dinners, and social events. Jamaica tourism minister Edmund Bartlett said the convention center is a key piece of infrastructure in propping up Jamaica as a major international meetings destination, not just to North America but to the rest of the world. Hotel room inventory in Montego Bay, Jamaica’s resort hub, has grown to 11,000 rooms, and one-third of the stock is in Rose Hall. There have been recent U.S. and Spanish hospitality investments, with the arrivals of the 427-room Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall and the three-property Iberostar Rose Hall Beach & Spa Resort, respectively. Originally slated to open in March, and a challenger to the Ritz-Carlton, is the luxe 299-room Solis the Palmyra Resort & Spa, now progressing toward a September opening. The latest indoor meetings specs involve a 6,000-sf ballroom, a junior ballroom, and five meeting rooms from 340 sf to 1,000 sf. There will be 10,000 sf of event lawns, a gazebo 300 ft out into Montego Bay, and a Great House for catered events. The Ritz-Carlton—with 25,000 sf of indoor meeting rooms, a 10,800-sf ballroom, and outdoor function space (including the famed Rose Hall Great House)—will be the site of the 19th Jamaica Product Exchange (JAPEX) next month. Hosted by the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association and the Jamaica Tourist Board, JAPEX is the island’s top industry trade event, a forum with European and North American tourism and hospitality partners. The talk at this year’s JAPEX is expected to be the still-growing Spanish and Latin American influx in Jamaica’s tourism and hospitality interests. H Excitingly New + Exquisitely French Exotically Caribbean + + + + + + 252 rooms and suites + gourmet beachfront restaurant on the fascinating French side of the island at Anse Marcel beachside inﬁnity swimming pool + spa and ﬁtness center French bistro + H2O sports + 150-slip marina 7,500-square feet of conference space beautiful outdoor function areas + $80-million transformation 800.850.5270 Radisson.com/StMartin caribbeansales@Radisson.com 20 MeetingNews April 20, 2009 ST MARTIN RESORT, MARINA & SPA www.meetingnews.com http://www.Radisson.com/StMartin http://www.Radisson.com/StMartin http://www.meetingnews.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meeting News - April 20, 2009

Meeting News - April 20, 2009
Contents
What’s Up in the MeetingNews Community
Inside the Industry
People Making News
Thirty Under 30
Hotels & Resorts
Chef Talk
Convention Centers
International
Destinations: Caribbean
Destinations: Kansas City, MO
Green Beat
Destinations: New Jersey
Destinations: Myrtle Beach, SC
Live from the Forum

Meeting News - April 20, 2009