Marriott has opened the Caribbean’s first-ever Aloft hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 

The hip new hotel is set  n the heart of the “El Distrito” project adjacent to the Puerto Rico Convention Center. 

The 177-room, boutique-style hotel is the brainchild of PRISA Group and Caribe Hospitality. 

“We are changing Puerto Rico’s hospitality landscape as the only hotel located within San Juan’s premiere entertainment destination, El Distrito, and first Aloft hotel on the island as well as in the Caribbean,” said Toni Stoeckl, Global Brand Leader for Aloft Hotels. 

Stoecki, who is also Marriott International’s Vice President for Distinctive Select Marriott International, said Aloft had 135 hotels in its global pipeline. 

The Puerto Rico hotel has all of Aloft’s signature amenities, including the W XYZ lobby bar, the Re:fuel by Aloft grab-and-go cafe, a fitness center and a pool on the third story of the property. 

“We are excited to shake up the rhythm with the first Aloft hotel in the Caribbean, bringing the brand’s different by design approach to Puerto Rico,” said Christian Nieves, General Manager of Aloft San Juan. “San Juan is a vibrant destination, filled with exciting entertainment, rich history, and captivating art, all which ignite the self-expressing Aloft traveler to explore and create.

The Aloft is the first project to open in El Distrito, a highly-anticipated entertainment-focused development centered around a 50,000-square-foot central plaza first announced in 2016 under its original name, District Live.

“We are very excited about the opening of the Aloft San Juan Hotel,” said Brad Dean, CEO of Discover Puerto Rico. “Within the past year, Puerto Rico has experienced an all-time high with lodging revenue and supply, demonstrating the positive impact the entire industry has in the economy’s growth. Additional inventory has resulted in a supply increase of 11.1% from a previous high in 2017, and we’re determined to generate the necessary demand to carry this momentum through 2020.”

The plaza will include 14,000 square feet of LED screens featuring nightly “digital fireworks,” sports event feeds, and digital art. 

The plaza will also include a pair of al fresco bars and a center stage for daily arts and music events. 

“We are proud to announce the opening of the first Aloft hotel in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. Aloft San Juan is one of the anchor properties of El Distrito and the first to open,” added Federico Stubbe Jr, president of PRISA Group and developer of Aloft San Juan and El Distrito. “Aloft will be the hotel for next generation travelers and locals looking for a fresh vibe, all integrated into the spirited environment that El Distrito will offer.”

The new Aloft joins another design-focused Marriott brand in San Juan, the AC Marriott that opened in Condado in 2017.  

For more, visit Aloft San Juan. 

— CJ