Celebration Jamaica is one of two resorts that is being approved for consideration of a casino licence.
Celebration Jamaica Won't Be All-Inclusive
Noel Thompson - Hospitality Jamaica Writer
Dennis Constanzo, president of Palmyra Resort and Spa, expects the spin-off from his company's latest investment Celebration Jamaica to be huge and thereby, generate thousands of jobs for Jamaicans.
Celebration Jamaica is one of two resorts that is being approved for consideration of a casino licence.
According to Constanzo, the goal is to position the US$1.8-billion project, announced by Prime Minister Bruce Golding in his Budget presentation, to be a four to five star property, but, more important, it will not be another all-inclusive resort, for which Jamaica has become renowned.
"This means there will be a trickle-down effect for the economy. The restaurant industry will find a rebirth and the taxi industry will be more highly utilised ," Constanzo said.
In the last five years, a number of restaurants in the tourism capital have been forced to close their doors because of the lack of business from the hotels near them.
Some hoteliers complain that their guests are harassed when they leave the confines of the properties, while restaurateurs claim their business are left to die as result of the lack of support.
BENEFITS EVERYBODY
In the case of Celebration Jamaica, Constanzo said not only will the project benefit residents in and around St James , but the wider Jamaican populace .
Celebration Jamaica, Constanzo said , is trying to establish itself as a world-class destination by taking a multitiered approach in building one attraction after another. "We don't see the casino as the only thing that will drive the resort forward, but it is the keystone of the different types of attractions that will be offered."
With the addition of 2,200 more rooms to the accommodation sector, he said the rent-a-car industry should experience increased business. "Imagine the kind of clientele that we will be catering to. They will have a much more intense need for car rental and taxi service than there is presently."
It is against this background that Constanzo said that thousands of jobs will be created directly and indirectly .
In a release to the media, the developers describe the project as a 16-storey structure containing 1,500 keys , a 75,000-square foot casino and sports book, a state-of- the-art discotheque, assorted meeting space, including a divisible ball-room, an outdoor-function area, retail space, front-desk lobby, a spectacular lobby lounge overlooking the Caribbean ocean, bars, restaurants, kid's club, health club, spa, back of house , etc.
‘RESTAURANTS'S ROW',
In addition to the main building the project shall include a marina, a shopping centre complete with its own ‘restaurant's row', a dolphin bay , four secluded beaches, an arts fair market , the ‘Blue Mountain ‘ water entertainment complex , an iconic 2,500-seat , water amphitheatre, as well as many other premier attractions and features. The project will be connected, by way of a pedestrian overpass spanning across the freeway, to a 2,500-person-capacity convention centre, committed by the Government of Jamaica. "I can confirm that we are currently in negotiation with several major hotels and casino brands, which recognise the opportunity that Jamaica presents," said Robert T. Trotta, developer of The Palmyra Resort and Spa.
The development will encompass a 10-acre ‘Blue Mountain' water and entertainment complex with slides, lazy rivers and lagoons, a dolphin bay marine attraction, a water amphitheatre for concerts and entertainment that seats 2,500 people, as well as world-class marina. Additionally, the multi-layered resort project will offer a variety of restaurants, nightclubs, entertainment and shopping experiences throughout, said Trotta. He continued, "The project will prove to be a ‘tipping point' for unprecedented growth in both tourism and property values in Jamaica. The next decade will come to be known in Jamaican history as the moment in time when Jamaica established itself as "the tourist and financial capital of the Caribbean".
