Playa del Carmen has become one of the hippest beach destinations in the Caribbean in recent years, and a new Marriott hotel is about to up the cool factor in a big way.

Marriott International is adding to its Caribbean expansion with plans to open a W Hotel in the fast-growing city of Playa del Carmen in Mexico.

Marriott is partnering with Fibra Inn on what will be the first-ever W-branded hotel in the Mexican Caribbean, and what will be the only active W hotel in the wider Caribbean. (The W Vieques in Puerto Rico has been shuttered since Hurricane Maria).

The new hotel will be set on the ocean in Playa del Carmen, a beach town on the Caribbean coast that is in the midst of a development boom.

“We are excited to work with hotel developer Fibra Inn to open a cutting-edge W hotel in Playa del Carmen, a destination ready for the brand’s bold design, signature “Whatever/Whenever” service and innovative programming,” said Laurent de Kousemaeker, Chief Development Officer, Caribbean and Latin America for Marriott International. “This important signing underscores the impressive growth of our luxury portfolio in the region and across Mexico.”

Marriott said the 218-room hotel property was slated to open in 2023.

Amenities will include the W’s signature offerings: the WET Deck pool bar and lounge; the Away spa; a fitness center, a beach club and a rooftop bar, among others.

Playa del Carmen has been seeing a continued hotel investment in recent years, with a strong pipeline of new projects from big brands like Hilton and brands like Thompson.

Even as tourism growth has flattened of late in the Mexican Caribbean, it’s clear that investors continue to make big bets on the future of Playa, as it’s often known, both with branded hotels and, increasingly, condominium projects that double as residential resorts.

Fibra Inn has a portfolio of hotels across 15 different brands in Mexico, from Marriott to Holiday Inn Express, totaling 6,486 rooms.

“Our plan for the W Playa del Carmen is critical to our goal to diversify the beach destination’s lodging base, which currently lacks quality luxury lifestyle properties,” said Oscar Calvillo, CEO of Fibra Inn. “This project will elevate the offering in this prime destination with this fun and energetic brand.”

This will be its first W, however, and its second hotel in Playa del Carmen, joining the existing Wyndham Garden Playa del Carmen, which first opened in 2013.

The W Playa del Carmen will be one of just three hotels in the wider Caribbean Basin, along with the W Costa Rica and the W Panama. The latter opened its doors in 2018.

— CJ