The seventh JW Marriott Hotel in Latin America will  open in 2008 in Guanacaste under a franchise agreement reached between Marriott International, Inc. and Hotel Real de Pinilla, S.A., a subsidiary of  Grupo Poma of El Salvador, the firms said Tuesday.

Grupo Poma’s hotel division, known as Real Hotels & Resorts, has 23 properties including the Puebla Marriott Hotel in Mexico and the Courtyard by Marriott Panama City, Panama, and will manage the  resort.

When opened, the 310-room JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa will be the fourth Marriott  International-branded property in Costa Rica.
It will be located on a Pacific beachfront site in the 4,000-acre Hacienda Pinilla Beach Resort and residential community development that also contains an existing 18-hole golf course, an equestrian center, tennis courts, villas and beach houses. The project team includes the Zurcher Architects as the project architect and Paul Duesing Partners as the interior designer.

The project is on the Pacific coast of the Nicoya Peninsula just south of Playa Tamarindo. Daniel  Oduber Liberia International Airport is located approximately 50 miles away to the north and east.

“We are delighted to be working with Real Hotels & Resorts on this exciting and beautiful resort hotel and to see our award-winning JW Marriott brand grow in  Latin America,” said Ed Fuller, president and managing director of international lodging for Marriott International.  “Costa Rica is a world-class leisure destination, especially for ecotourism, and attracts a diverse group of visitors. Coupled with our JW Marriott’s global reputation for unsurpassed, relaxed luxury and ambience, we are confident this resort will be an instant success.”

The resort’s 310 rooms will include up to 30 executive level guest rooms and up to 10 stand alone casita  units.

For dining and entertainment, the resort will have an all-day restaurant featuring terrace seating; two specialty restaurants serving lunch and dinner, a pool bar and grill, a café kiosk and a lobby lounge and bar. Recreational amenities will include a 13,500  square-foot health club and spa featuring 18 treatment rooms, saunas, steam rooms, a beauty salon, a spa shop and a fitness center.

Water sports activities will include a swimming pool, jet-skiing, diving, snorkeling and fishing.  A kids club will be located near the spa.  Golf will be available at an 18-hole golf course and clubhouse included in the  overall complex. Additionally, the resort will have a business center.

For conferences and social events, the JW Marriott Guanacaste Resort & Spa will boast more than 5,500 square feet of flexible meeting space.  Included will be a ballroom offering  more than 3,000 square feet and three meeting rooms in varying configurations.