Jamaica Welcomes Racquet Club Condos and Spa Development

A once famous Racquet Club hotel in Montego Bay was demolished to make way for the construction of an 8-story luxury condominium complex

Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, was at the location over the weekend to break ground for the new project.

Mr. Bartlett welcomed the development as “the rebirth of the Racquet Club” and reminded that the Montego Bay Racquet Club Condominiums and Spa “comes with a rich history in tourism that may prove quite beneficial in the challenge to recapture that history while catering to that new breed of world travelers who journey across the globe in fulfillment of their passion and a quest for adventure.”

The original Racquet Club was a playground for international celebrities such as renowned movie stars Charlton Heston, Kirk Douglas and the former “queen of Hollywood” Elizabeth Taylor, as well as tennis greats Don Budge, Arthur Ashe and others.

The new Racquet Club is one of four projects – three in Montego Bay and the other in Kingston at a combined cost of J$8 billion, being developed by the Jamaican firm, Boria Ltd. Mr. Bartlett said it represented an opportunity for the facility to attract and maintain a new breed of travelers known as the “Digital Nomads that are high-end, that are senior officials in companies, are well positioned and high yielding.”

He also welcomed the social wellness aspect of the development which, according to Boria’s Founder and Chairman, Eugene Ffolkes Jnr, will be focused on health and wellness with a social wellness club featuring six courts for tennis and pickle-ball, a spa, two gyms and a café. There will also be a sky lounge and a swimming pool on the eighth floor.

Mr. Bartlett said:

“The low-density condominium mixed-use development, wrapped in the modern technology and conveniences of the 21st century is the kind of statement that we want to have made about the new product offering of Destination Jamaica.”

He stated that building out capacity to continue the booming growth in tourism was important and in addition to the Montego Bay Racquet Club Condominiums and Spa, two other projects, one of them a 25-storey complex, are to be built in Montego Bay. 

“We want more Jamaicans to be investing in the tourism product; this is our product; this is our industry; we want to make sure that post-COVID tourism is inclusive and that inclusiveness means owning, managing and protecting your space and making your space safe, secure and seamless,” said Minister Bartlett.

Among other participants in the ground-breaking ceremony were Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Security and Member of Parliament for Northwest St. James, Dr. Horace Chang and Assistant General Manager and Chief Development Financing Officer for the Jamaica National Group, Carlton Earl Samuels.