- Contributed
Verona Carter, communications director for the Ritz Carlton's Caribbean resorts (left), poses with socialite Vanessa Anthruther-Gough-Calthorpe (centre) and Sue Ferguson, stepmother of Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, at the recent launch of the 2004 Travel Guide and the Ritz-London Tatler Travel Awards in London.
THE RITZ-CARLTON Hotel Company, L.L.C. of Chevy Chase, has announced that it has assumed management of one of Europe's leading historic resorts in the Estoril coastal region of Portugal, a move Verona Carter, the resort chain's communications director for the Caribbean said could have huge spin-offs for Jamaica.
The picturesque property is being relaunched under Ritz-Carlton management as the Penha Longa Hotel and Golf Resort and will undergo a major US$20 million enhancement beginning this year, adding more guest rooms and suites and a world class spa by spring 2006. The resort will remain open and will mark the fifth Ritz-Carlton-operated hotel in Europe, joining Wolfsburg, Istanbul, Turkey; Barcelona, Spain (The Hotel Arts) and Berlin, Germany (opening January 2004).
"As you know, The European market is very important and there is great excitement from the media because travellers are very interested in travelling to key Caribbean destinations, such as Jamaica," Ms. Carter said. "With the Ritz Carlton increasing its presence in that continent and all our resorts, including here in Jamaica, heavily promoted in all our hotels, Jamaica and the Caribbean in general stand to benefit."
She noted that "with the very strong European currency such as the pound and Euro, Europeans can enjoy the ultimate in comforts and luxury at very reasonable rates because of the purchasing power of their currency, so we should see even more Europeans flocking the shores of the Caribbean."
She added: "We should also see more travellers from the U.S. looking to the region for short getaways and extended holidays because of the weak dollar and Americans getting much better value for their dollar here in the region than Europe."
Ms. Carter, whose job takes her across the globe, "experiencing new markets and opportunities for the Ritz Carlton", said the Jamaican luxury resort, located in Rosehall, St. James, has been holding its own in the tourism luxury market. She is optimistic that the island tourism industry will continue to see growth, noting that the Ritz Carlton "will always be at the forefront promoting Jamaica."
