by Joe Pike
Last updated: 11:29 AM ET, Mon September 24, 2018
As part of TravelPulse's ongoing coverage of the annual Jamaica Annual Product Exchange (JAPEX) in Montego Bay, we got the scoop on Playa Hotels & Resorts' plans to expand its popular Panama Jack family hotel brand to Jamaica.
Kevin Froemming, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Playa Hotels & Resorts, told TravelPulse the Panama Jack brand could be in Jamaica by as early as 2020 in the form of one or two hotels.
Playa currently has Panama Jack hotels in both Cancun and Playa del Carmen, but this would be the brand's first Caribbean destination.
Although it hasn't been decided if the hotel or hotels will be new builds, Froemming said one of Playa's recently-acquired Jewel hotels in Montego Bay could be converted in a Panama Jack hotel.
"Panama Jack in Montego Bay makes a lot of sense," said Froemming, noting that Ocho Rios and Negril are also being scouted for a potential Panama Jack property.
Earlier this year, Playa Hotels & Resorts' announced the purchase of five upscale resorts in the booming Jamaican tourism district extending from Montego Bay to Ocho Rios. Playa acquired five all-inclusive resorts and two adjacent, developable oceanfront sites on Jamaica's North Coast.
The acquisition includes the 489-room Hilton Rose Hall resort, the 268-room Jewel Runaway Bay resort, the 250-room Jewel Dunn's River resort and the 225-room Jewel Paradise Cove, all located along the corridor that connects Jamaica's two largest resort towns, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios.
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