By the Caribbean Journal staff

Whether it’s on the beach in Belize or in an urban setting in the Dominican Republic, Kingston or Panama, Marriott is in the midst of a massive expansion push in the Caribbean.

And now it’s adding another project.

A new Courtyard Marriott is coming to the island of Saint Lucia, according to a statement from the country’s government.

Invest Saint Lucia says it has signed with the GP Group for the development of a new Marriott Courtyard hotel and conference facility at Pointe Seraphine, home to the island’s major cruise port in the capital, Castries.

Construction on the project is slated to begin in February 2019, according to Prime Minister Allen Chastanet.

Pointe Seraphine in Castries.

The project is part of a wider plan to transform Pointe Seraphine, which recently expanded to allow for maximum-size cruise ships.

The first phase includes building yachting facilities, followed by a second phase that will see the construction of shops on the ground floor and office space upstairs.

“The aim is to get greater utilization of that prime piece of land,” Chastanet said. “Dedicating it to the cruise industry by itself will not be sufficient for economic sustainability.”

The Courtyard is the latest in what has become a very fast-growing brand in the Caribbean; in recent years new Courtyard hotels have popped up everywhere from downtown Nassau to the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire.

— CJ