Amaterra resort to give J’cans first preference
Published:Monday | November 18, 2019 | 12:07 AMJanet Silvera/Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
The soon-to-be-built Marriott-managed hotel in Trelawny will give Jamaican firms and staff preference in its construction and operations, Keith Russell, chairman of the Amaterra Group, has said.
Speaking at the official signing of a hotel management operator agreement with award-winning global travel company Marriott International at the Hard Rock Cafe in Montego Bay last week, the former North Trelawny member of parliament said that Amaterra will be the first Marriott-run all-inclusive hotel in the Caribbean, built from scratch by Jamaican hands.
The hotel will boast 800 rooms.
“Jamaican companies, Jamaican professionals, Jamaican workers can expect a new day ... . There will be opportunities, with due consideration given to cost and to quality,” Russell said.
He continued: “The Jamaican brand seems to be wasted in many ways, because we have gone to many hotels and seen entertainers from other countries. When the people come to Jamaica it’s because of our music, because of our food, because of our sports, our politics, and because of our people. And yet still, when they come, they are entertained by others from afar.”
Russell also insisted that his group, in association with Marriott, would consider housing arrangements for hotel staff, noting that “the persons who sometimes are the most important, who are on the front line with the tourists, who give the impression as to what the industry is all about, sometimes we don’t know how and where they live and how they get to work”.
President of JAMPRO Diane Edwards also welcomed plans for the hotel, which is expected to be opened in 2022.
Edwards, who was instrumental in putting Russell in touch with Marriott, spoke of the massive marketing tool that the international chain can offer the local business operator with loyalty programme of 173 million members. The group operates 7,200 properties worldwide.