Hyatt Place Manatí opens to pursue medical tourism
The $38 million Hyatt Place & Casino Atlántico in Manatí.
The $38 million Hyatt Place & Casino Atlántico opened its doors Tuesday in the northern town of Manatí, looking to establish itself as the place to stay for medical tourists and executives of nearby pharmaceutical and manufacturing plants, hotel executives said.
Federico Stubbe, president of project developer PRISA Group, said the hotel will expand the tourism potential in the northern area through its focus on regional tourism and business executives, categories he said have growth potential given that they follow a lifestyle, not necessarily a demographic.
“The Hyatt Place Manatí responds to an agile and modern lifestyle, that combines the practical and minimalist. It is a proposal that comes to strengthen the area’s growth and serve a need for accommodation,” Stubbe said of the five-story, 104-room property that created 124 direct jobs.
“This region, traditionally known for the pharmaceutical and manufacturing industry, has experienced a marked increase in the medical tourism segment. This hotel comes to serve these industries, as well as tourists looking to discover the wonders of this region,” he said.
For those reasons, the Hyatt Place Manatí has received “special treatment” in terms of its family atmosphere with a modern design, he added of the property that incorporates a 15,500 square-foot casino and in coming months, the region’s first Longhorn Steakhouse.
The project embodies a strategic alliance between the private and public sectors involving Banco Santander, Oriental Bank and the Puerto Rico Economic Development Bank on the financing end, the Municipality of Manatí and the project’s investor and developer, Island Hospitality Partners, a partnership between PRISA Group and McConnell Valdés Consulting.
Another project participant, the Workforce Development Administration, assigned $241,000 in payroll incentives through the Workforce Investment Act to create 58 of the full-time jobs at the hotel. The agreement was signed Tuesday during the opening ceremony.
