Above: the site of the Ritz-Carlton Reserve project in Dorado

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño visited the construction site of the Dorado Beach Ritz-Carlton Reserve and Spa Thursday, a project with a total investment of $342 million.

During the visit, Fortuño announced the second phase of the project, which involved an investment of $72 million that could create about 300 direct and indirect jobs.

“Today, we announced more than a resort development,” Fortuño said. “We are realizing the dream of the town of Dorado, which wants to ensure progress and opportunity for its people.”

Fortuño said the development was generating more than 1,000 jobs in its construction phase, along with another 1,000 after the hotel opens.

The project is the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve property in the Americas, and the second in the world, along with the Phulay Bay Reserve in Krabi in Southern Thailand.

The hotel is slated to open by December 2012.

According to Fortuño, there have been 29 new hotel projects in Puerto Rico since 2009, a figure that includes 23 new hotels and six expansions, representing a total of 1,705 new jobs.

“Today, we open the doors to progress and opportunity with this new hotel,” the Governor said. “Let’s maximize the potential of Puerto Rico as a tourist destination.”