Above: a rendering of the planned JW Marriott in Grace Bay

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Turks and Caicos Governor Peter Beckingham held talks this week with officials from Venezuela’s Desarrollos, which is developing two or three hotel projects in the territory.

One of those projects is the planned JW Marriott resort, which would include 380 rooms, two restaurants, a lounge, lobby bar and pool bar and grill.

A delegation from Desarollos including Walter Stipa and his wife and son, flew in earlier this week from Aruba to TCI, where it was given a tour of Grand Turk by the Governor and his wife. Stipa also owns the recently-opened Ritz-Carlton Aruba.

“I was delighted to have an opportunity to meet these important investors in Turks and Caicos” said Beckingham said. “It provided me with an opportunity to underline the country’s commitment to welcome new, up-market developments in Providenciales.”

Beckingham said the two sides agreed to aim toward a starting date of the fourth quarter of 2014 for their first project.

The JW Marriott project was first announced in the spring of 2013, following an agreement between the TCI and Desarrollos signed in October 2012.

At that time, the cost of the project was estimated at around $500 million.