Marriott International’s new 522-room all-inclusive resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, announced July 23 and expected to open in 2028.
The groundbreaking of Club Med St. Croix, a 150-suite resort scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2027
A major transformation is planned for one of Montego Bay’s established beachfront resorts, with Marriott International and Catalonia Hotels & Resorts preparing to introduce a new 522-room Marriott Hotels all-inclusive property in 2028.
Marriott International has signed an agreement with Catalonia Hotels & Resorts to convert the former Catalonia Montego Bay into a large-scale Marriott Hotels all-inclusive resort.
The agreement was signed in Barcelona on July 22, 2026, and announced the following day. The resort is scheduled to open in 2028, although Marriott has not yet announced a specific opening month or reservation launch date.
Rather than being constructed on an undeveloped site, the project will transform an existing resort property located on the beach near Sangster International Airport. This distinction makes the project a major renovation, conversion and rebranding rather than an entirely new-build hotel.
Plans call for a 522-room all-inclusive resort with an extensive collection of restaurants, recreational facilities and event spaces.
The property is expected to offer 13 dining venues, three swimming pools, a spa, a fitness centre, tennis and pickleball courts and a lazy river. Marriott also plans approximately 12,917 square feet of meeting and event space, positioning the resort to accommodate weddings, incentive groups, conferences and larger social gatherings.
One of the development’s most valuable features will be its extensive coastline. The property occupies more than 2,130 feet of beachfront, giving the future resort direct access to one of Montego Bay’s established resort areas.
The property has already undergone several changes in identity.
Catalonia Hotels & Resorts announced its acquisition of the Holiday Inn Resort Montego Bay in May 2024. At the time, the resort contained 512 rooms, four restaurants or grills, four bars, two swimming pools, a spa, tennis facilities, mini golf and approximately 500 metres of white-sand beachfront.
The resort also included the Rose Hall Club, a 52-room adults-only section with access to exclusive facilities. Catalonia subsequently began investing in renovations intended to modernize the rooms and public spaces.
The Marriott redevelopment will increase the announced inventory from 512 to 522 rooms. It will also expand the food-and-beverage offering, add another swimming pool and introduce amenities such as the lazy river, pickleball courts and more extensive meeting facilities.
Physical improvements at the resort were already underway well before Marriott’s July 2026 announcement.
SAMPOL, an international engineering and infrastructure company, announced in June 2025 that it had been contracted to undertake a complete technical refurbishment of the hotel’s rooms and common areas. The stated scope included new or upgraded electrical installations, air-conditioning infrastructure, telecommunications systems, plumbing and sanitation.
Catalonia also advised travel partners that more than 200 rooms would be renovated, together with selected amenities and the adults-only pool area. These renovations were initially associated with the Catalonia brand and should not automatically be treated as the complete scope of the future Marriott conversion.
The property later closed following damage associated with Hurricane Melissa. Catalonia currently states that restoration work has begun and that the hotel remains closed indefinitely. The new Marriott agreement now establishes 2028 as the target year for the property’s return under its new international brand.
The agreement does not appear to represent an outright purchase by Marriott International.
Catalonia is expected to continue owning and managing the resort, while Marriott contributes its internationally recognized Marriott Hotels brand, global distribution capabilities and Marriott Bonvoy platform. This type of arrangement allows an experienced resort operator to retain control of the asset while benefiting from Marriott’s brand recognition and worldwide customer base.
Upon opening, the Montego Bay resort is expected to participate in the Marriott Bonvoy travel ecosystem, connecting the property with Marriott customers and loyalty-program members around the world.
Several important details have not yet been announced.
Marriott and Catalonia have not publicly confirmed the property’s final consumer-facing name, room categories, restaurant concepts, architectural team, total investment, opening season or date on which reservations will begin. They have also not published a complete set of current construction-progress photographs.
The announced 2028 opening should therefore be treated as a development target. Major resort conversions can be affected by construction conditions, hurricane restoration, permitting, procurement and final brand-approval requirements.
The future Marriott resort will not simply introduce another hotel to Montego Bay. It will give a long-established beachfront property a substantially different identity, expanded amenities and access to one of the world’s largest hotel distribution networks.
With 522 rooms, 13 dining venues, three pools, a lazy river and more than 2,130 feet of beachfront, the project is positioned to become one of Montego Bay’s most closely watched resort transformations ahead of its planned 2028 opening.
