Speaking at the end of last weekend’s official groundbreaking for the RCD Hotels 451-room newest luxury adult-only all-inclusive UNICO 18° 77° Montego Bay resort, Delano Seiveright, senior advisor and strategist in the Ministry of Tourism, highlighted that several hotels, villas, condominiums and hotel expansion projects are set to be launched in 2023 and 2024, amounting to several thousand more new rooms and billions in investments. 

“This is needed as we simply do not have enough rooms of a certain category to meet the demand for Jamaica that is out there,” Seiveright said.

“That, plus labour, housing and global logistics chain supply issues, present serious problems that we have to overcome. In the end these investments are critical. Jamaican and foreign investors should take careful note of these developments as there is a definite need for supporting infrastructure, including housing and a wide array of support businesses – it’s a whole ecosystem.”

Just recently, during meetings with key tourism stakeholders in the United Kingdom, which is seeing overall holidays to Jamaica selling at 25 per cent to 40 per cent more than in 2019, several lamented the inability to properly fill demand due to a lack of hotel rooms at their required standard.

In commenting on the new UNICO hotel, RCD Hotels said: “We are excited to introduce a brand like UNICO in Jamaica and look forward to showcasing the island’s rich culture through the UNICO experience. Not skimping on a single detail, this property will highlight Jamaica’s local culture, art, cuisine and mixology through curated experiences both on and off the property.”

RCD Hotels is known across the globe as the brand that brought the first all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotels and Hard Rock golf courses to life. 

RCD Hotels leads sales and marketing efforts for luxury properties in Mexico, the Caribbean and the United States, including Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Punta Cana (the world’s first all-inclusive Hard Rock Hotel) in the Dominican Republic, and seven properties in Mexico – Hard Rock Hotel Cancun, Hard Rock Hotel Vallarta, Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya and Hard Rock Hotel Los Cabos, Nobu Los Cabos and the first of a new luxury all-inclusive concept, UNICO 20º 87º Hotel Riviera Maya.

Most recently, the group has welcomed Residence Inn by Marriott in Mérida, Cancún and Playa del Carmen, as well as Nobu Hotel Chicago in the US.