Hyatt Hotels Corp. has come to an agreement with the new owners of the 223-room Verdanza Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico to convert it to the Hyatt Centric San Juan Isla Verde. A $25 million renovation of all guest rooms, suites, and public spaces is in progress, to be completed by spring 2025.
The first Hyatt Centric property on the island will be two blocks from Isla Verde Beach West (in photo), sharing the neighborhood with the Royal Sonesta San Juan, the Fairmont San Juan, and the Foxwoods El San Juan Casino. The property will offer 16,000 square feet of meeting space across six rooms, including a 4,000-square-foot ballroom. There will also be a resort-style pool deck and bar surrounded by tropical landscape, plus a locally inspired restaurant and open-air beer garden.
In addition, guests will have complimentary access to the facilities of Vivo Beach Club—the owners of which purchased the hotel in partnership with development firm Interlink. The oceanfront private beach club is 1.5 miles from the hotel and features a free-form pool, three restaurants, four bars plus the Ocean Lab Brewing Company microbrewery, an outdoor concert stage with seating for 3,500 people, and 12,000 square feet of meeting space.
Interestingly, all 140 employees who staffed the Verdanza Hotel, which was a noted independent property, will be retained for the Hyatt Centric. Rick Newman, CEO of Flagship Resort Properties, which sold the hotel, said that it was a condition of the sale that the staff remain.
“We believe that the Verdanza’s success was greatly due to the employees,” he said. “They helped us compete with all the brands as an independent hotel because of their quality of service and delivery of the product. Keeping them on will help the hotel succeed, which is what I hope because we took the hotel to this level and want to see them take it to the next level.”
The Hyatt Centric San Juan Isla Verde will be 1.5 miles from Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, a five-minute drive.
