SuperClubs has announced its plans to enter Panama’s tourism market with a 300-room Breezes resort near Playa Blanca.  The popular Jamaica-based all-inclusive signed a 10-year contract with developers, Sunstar Hotel & Development SA, to build the hotel along the country’s premier southern Pacific coast beaches, in the luxury coastal community of Bijao in the Coclé province.  Ground breaking of the family-friendly hotel will commence in 2007, with the resort slated to open its doors in mid-2008, featuring both a spa and casino.
“SuperClubs has been our preferred partner for this development since its very inception because of its success, proven networks and track record,” said Raul Jimenez, president of Sunstar Hotels and Development.
Also breaking ground in early 2007 for a 2009 opening is the 229-room Breezes Buzios Resort in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Located on Rio’s famed beach town - and favorite playground of French actress Bridget Bardot in the 1960s - this sprawling hideaway features an ambitious master plan that includes a spa, mini golf course, cycling paths, roller skating park, archery center, bowling alley, and convention facilities.  In addition to rooms and suites, the resort will also feature 110 villas.
“As our first Central American resort, Breezes in Panama figures prominently in our expansion strategy in Latin America,” said SuperClubs executive chairman John Issa.  “Panama and Brazil are our top growth priorities, and we are excited to introduce our turnkey operation to new and vibrant destinations.”
These two additions mark SuperClubs’ first foray into Panama, its third property in Latin America, and raises the chain’s Breezes portfolio to eight resorts total in six countries.
SuperClubs first entered the South American market in September 2000 with the opening of the company’s first resort outside the Caribbean:  Breezes Costa Do Sauipe in Bahia, Brazil.  In March 2001, a master franchise agreement was signed with Sonesta International Hotels Corporation, and SuperClubs currently manages two Sonesta hotels in Brazil, namely Sonesta Sao Paulo (under SuperClubs’ management since December 2004) and Sonesta Brasilia, which opened just last month.  Additional Breezes properties are located in Jamaica, Nassau in the Bahamas, Curaçao and Dominican Republic.
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