Curaçao’s luxury chess move: Outmanoeuvring the Caribbean tourism giants
📷 Sandasl Resorts
Curaçao's tourism landscape is set to expand significantly with two distinct new luxury all-inclusive properties announced for the island — TUI BLUE Curaçao on the western coast near Groot Santa Martha, and Pyrmont Hotel Curaçao, a 300-room adults-only Marriott Autograph Collection property scheduled to open in Willemstad's Pietermaai district.
Curaçao is preparing to welcome a new luxury all-inclusive beachfront resort on its western coast, with TUI BLUE Curaçao set to open in the tranquil Groot Santa Martha area. The property will sit steps from a white-sand beach with direct Caribbean Sea access, offering couples, honeymooners, and families an all-inclusive package that includes on-site dining, pool terrace rooms with semi-private pool access, and easy reach of island highlights — among them Cas Abao Beach, the Blue Room Cave, and Willemstad's UNESCO-listed Handelskade waterfront, roughly 40 to 45 minutes away.
Separately, Pyrmont Hotel Curaçao — a 300-room, adults-only property joining Marriott's Autograph Collection — is scheduled to open October 1st in Willemstad's Pietermaai district. The hotel will offer seven restaurants and a premium all-inclusive experience pitched squarely at the luxury segment. Reservations are already open for stays from the opening date.
Marriott's Sales Manager for Latin America, Liliana Moreno, confirmed the upcoming opening while on a promotional tour that took the Curaçao tourism team through Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, and multiple Argentine cities including Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Salta, and Tucumán. She described the destination's regional growth as "truly very positive." Marriott positions the two properties — Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort for families, Pyrmont for adults — as complementary offerings for Latin American travellers.
Curaçao already hosts Dreams Curaçao Resort, Spa and Casino, an all-inclusive property on Piscadera Bay on the island's southern coast.
• TUI BLUE Curaçao is a new all-inclusive beachfront resort located in the Groot Santa Martha area on the island's western coast • TUI BLUE targets couples, honeymooners, and families; room count has not been confirmed in available source material • Pyrmont Hotel Curaçao is an adults-only, 300-room Autograph Collection property opening October 1st in Willemstad's Pietermaai district • Pyrmont will feature seven restaurants and a premium all-inclusive offering; reservations are already open • Marriott's Latin America promotional tour covered Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, and multiple Argentine cities • Dreams Curaçao Resort, Spa and Casino on Piscadera Bay is an existing all-inclusive competitor on the island's southern coast
TUI BLUE Curaçao will open with 297 guest units, including swim‑up and private‑pool accommodations, significantly increasing the inventory of upscale rooms on Curaçao’s less‑developed western coast near Groot Santa Martha.
In addition to TUI BLUE Curaçao, the Pyrmont Hotel Curaçao in Willemstad’s Pietermaai district is slated to open with 300 rooms as an adults‑only, Autograph Collection all‑inclusive, highlighting a near‑simultaneous 597‑room upscale capacity boost on the island.
TUI BLUE Curaçao’s 297 rooms represent roughly 49.7% of the 597 new all‑inclusive rooms being added by the two announced properties (297 + 300), making it nearly half of the announced near‑term upscale all‑inclusive expansion on the island.
Dreams Curaçao Resort, Spa & Casino—one of the island’s established all‑inclusive properties—has 249 guest rooms, providing a benchmark: TUI BLUE Curaçao will open with about 19% more rooms than Dreams (297 vs. 249).
TUI BLUE Curaçao is about 24 km from Hato International Airport, with an estimated 27‑minute drive, positioning the large new resort within practical transfer distance despite its relatively secluded western‑coast setting.
The resort is approximately 40–45 minutes by car from Willemstad and its UNESCO‑listed Handelskade waterfront, enabling day‑trip access from the new western‑coast all‑inclusive to the island’s main urban and cultural hub.
TUI BLUE Curaçao’s 297 rooms, combined with the 300‑room adults‑only Pyrmont Hotel Curaçao, add nearly 600 new upscale all‑inclusive rooms, marking one of the largest single waves of capacity growth in Curaçao’s resort sector and pushing development beyond the traditional Willemstad core toward the quieter western coast.
Relative to existing benchmarks like the 249‑room Dreams Curaçao Resort, Spa & Casino, the new 297‑room TUI BLUE property underscores a trend toward larger, more amenity‑rich all‑inclusive complexes that blend beach seclusion with reasonable access to the capital (40–45 minutes by car).
The clustering of features—three pools, six restaurants and three bars at TUI BLUE plus seven restaurants and adults‑only positioning at Pyrmont—signals Curaçao’s strategic push into higher‑spend, premium all‑inclusive tourism, targeting both couples and families while diversifying geography to include the under‑developed Groot Santa Martha area.
The simultaneous arrival of two luxury all-inclusive properties — one on the western coast, one in the capital — marks a meaningful step-change in Curaçao's hospitality offer. The island has historically punched below its weight in the all-inclusive segment compared to neighbours like Aruba and Bonaire. If both properties open as announced, Curaçao could credibly position itself as a multi-experience destination rather than a niche diving and cultural stop.
"Pyrmont Hotel Curaçao is expected to feature 300 rooms, seven restaurants, and a premium all-inclusive offering — and, according to Marriott, would be the first Marriott all-inclusive and first Autograph Collection hotel on the island."
— Marriott trade interview via regional tourism publication
Social Conversation: positive
Users share positive experiences and excitement about all-inclusive stays in Curaçao.
all-inclusive resortsCuraçao vacationsbeach experiences
"@yungsavage521 @theemptycrowd @ignorantstepdad Unblocking you just to tell you that I had a AMAZING time at Curaçao! The all-inclusive hotel, the white sand! I left a lock on that bridge. I can't wait to visit again. Good bye pussy!"
@turnoffyolight · 1d ago · 2 engagements · View on X
"Okay sooo… before my solo Curaçao trip I kept seeing people say NOT to stay at Sunscape Curaçao All-Inclusive Resort 👀
Then I checked in and THIS was how my stay started 😭
And after actually staying there? My experience might surprise you 😂🌴 https://t.co/l2WRP9bQcw"
@BigRedTheModel · Myrtle Beach, SC · 2d ago · 3 engagements · View on X
"Loading…all inclusive in Curaçao in about 34 days ☀️👙🌴 https://t.co/uhn5VEcGH4"
@AllaboutStaci · 6d ago · 1 engagements · View on X
Based on 3 posts from X · May 22, 2026
Industry optimism: Latin American markets represent a genuine growth opportunity for Curaçao: Marriott's Latin America sales team reports strong interest following a promotional tour through Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, Peru, and several Argentine cities. The sales manager describes the destination's growth as 'truly very positive' and says the two-property Marriott portfolio now offers complementary experiences for different Latin American market segments.
Consumer proposition: Curaçao's all-inclusive offer appeals across traveller types, from families to luxury-seeking adults: TUI BLUE's positioning — describing Curaçao as a destination where 'whether you're seeking serenity or adventure' visitors can find personalised service, diving, beaches, and cultural excursions — reflects a broad appeal strategy. The resort targets couples, honeymooners, and families simultaneously, suggesting confidence in the island's cross-segment draw.
Competitive context: Curaçao is entering a crowded all-inclusive Caribbean market with established rivals nearby: Existing all-inclusive operators, including Dreams Curacao Resort, Spa & Casino on Piscadera Bay — which highlights a PADI dive centre, casino, and the only poker room on the island — already serve the market. New entrants will need to differentiate sharply on product quality and location to capture market share.
"We are officially introducing Pyrmont Hotel Curaçao, our new property opening on October 1st, which will be part of the Autograph Collection within Marriott. It's a hotel focused exclusively on couples and adults, located in Pietermaai, one of Willemstad's most attractive areas."
— Liliana Moreno, Sales Manager for Latin America, Curaçao Marriott Beach Resort and Pyrmont Hotel Curaçao, via Regional tourism trade publication interview
Every Caribbean island has sand and sea. The question that separates winners from also-rans in the tourism game is: what else do you have, and who knows about it?
Curaçao has always had a compelling answer—Dutch colonial architecture, world-class diving, Willemstad's UNESCO waterfront, and crucially, a hurricane-safe address that Barbados, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic cannot offer. What it has lacked is the luxury all-inclusive infrastructure that converts awareness into bookings. Two new properties—TUI BLUE on the tranquil western coast and Pyrmont Hotel (the first Marriott Autograph Collection all-inclusive on the island, opening in Willemstad's fashionable Pietermaai district)—suggest that gap is finally closing.
The Latin American push is the shrewdest element of this story. While the rest of the region courts traditional North American and European visitors, Curaçao is actively cultivating travellers from Argentina, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay—markets growing at 24% regionally, with South American premium travel up a staggering 117%. Single-market dependency is a vulnerability the Caribbean knows too well. Curaçao is reading the room.
The direction of travel is clear. Curaçao is done being Aruba's quieter neighbour.
Verified by Caribbean360's AI-powered fact-checking
Puerto Rico hits 7.9M room nights & 6.8M arrivals in 2025. Discover what's driving the Caribbean's biggest tourism success story. Read more.
Beaches Turks & Caicos unveils Treasure Beach Village, a $150M, 101-suite expansion. Explore the first phase of the bold Beaches 2.0 growth plan.
Nigerian carrier Air Peace made history with the first direct flight from Lagos to Barbados. Discover what this milestone means for Caribbean tourism.
Caribbean hotels hit multi-year occupancy highs in 2026, but few dollars stay local. Explore the trends shaping the region's tourism economy.