Marriott's Luxury Brand Is Making Its All-Inclusive Debut — in a Destination You Might Not Expect
The JW Marriott Costa Elena will be the brand's first all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean and Latin America, with 415 rooms in Costa Rica's Guanacaste region.
JW Marriott is entering the all-inclusive arena for the first time in the Caribbean and Latin America with a 415-room resort in Costa Rica. The JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort All-Inclusive is set to open later this year in Guanacaste, on the country's northwestern Pacific coast.
The property sits within a master-planned coastal development near the Nicaraguan border, an area that has attracted increasing luxury hotel investment thanks to strong North American airlift and a growing reputation among upscale travelers looking for alternatives to the crowded Riviera Maya corridor.
For JW Marriott, the move signals that even Marriott's top-tier lifestyle brand sees all-inclusive as a viable luxury format. The brand has traditionally operated conventional high-end hotels, and this debut positions it alongside competitors like Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara, which have built strong loyalty followings in the all-inclusive segment.
The resort will lean into JW Marriott's wellness-forward identity, though specific amenity details haven't been announced. Costa Rica is a natural fit for that positioning, given the country's reputation for eco-tourism and outdoor adventure.
Marriott already operates several all-inclusive properties in the region under brands like Westin and Marriott Hotels. The JW Marriott addition pushes the company's all-inclusive strategy further upmarket, filling a gap between its existing mid-luxury offerings and the ultra-premium Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties.
