One of Marriott's Most Prestigious Brands Is Going All-Inclusive for the First Time — and It's Reviving a Familiar Resort

JW Marriott is entering the all-inclusive business for the first time in its history, and it's doing it in Costa Rica. The JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort & Spa, All-Inclusive opens September 10 on the North Pacific coast of Guanacaste, at Playa El Jobo in La Cruz. Reservations are already open, with the booking calendar currently showing availability from October 15.

The property isn't built from scratch. It's a conversion of the former Dreams Las Mareas, reborn under one of Marriott's top luxury flags on a 3,000-acre stretch of protected tropical dry forest fronting a Blue Star-designated beach.

The numbers are built for a flagship. The resort has 415 rooms and suites, a 44,000-square-foot pool complex that the company calls the largest resort poolscape in Costa Rica, and 11 bars and restaurants spanning international buffet, Japanese, seafood, Italian, and Costa Rican dining. At the top end sits the Griffin Club, a resort-within-a-resort of 45 rooms and suites with private check-in, butler service, and exclusive pool and beach access.

The move matters beyond one opening. Luxury hotel brands that spent years avoiding the all-inclusive label are now racing into it, chasing the high-spending families and couples who once booked traditional resorts. A JW Marriott All-Inclusive gives the parent company a premium tier to sit above its other all-inclusive lines, and Guanacaste — already one of Central America's fastest-growing luxury markets — is a logical place to plant it.

Introductory rates run about $900 per person, per night at double occupancy, with standard rooms starting near $577 once the general calendar opens. The conversion is expected to support roughly 700 jobs tied to the new operation.