Marriott International has announced a significant expansion of its all-inclusive portfolio through a long-term agreement with Sunwing Travel Group’s hotel division, Blue Diamond Resorts.

The latter has an extensive portfolio of resort properties throughout the Caribbean, Central America and Mexico.

The agreement is expected to propel Marriott into the list of top ten global all-inclusive players by adding 19 franchised resorts totalling nearly 7,000 rooms across six destinations.

Marriott said the move would double its presence in the all-inclusive segment to 33 properties by 2025.

The majority of the properties are expected to be converted into Marriott’s Autograph Collection by mid-2021.

“We are thrilled to work with Sunwing Travel Group and expand into two new leisure destinations – St. Lucia and Antigua,” said Tony Capuano, group president, global development, design and operations services, Marriott International.

“Blue Diamond’s expertise in the all-inclusive segment and high-quality resorts will help ensure that these properties serve as excellent additions to the Marriott portfolio.

“Today’s signing is a testament to Marriott International’s scale and loyalty platform, and we look forward to providing travellers seeking an all-inclusive experience with more choices in the Caribbean and Latin America.”

Marriott International launched its multi-brand all-inclusive portfolio platform in 2019 and has nine open hotels across Costa Rica, Barbados and Mexico with an additional five hotels in the pipeline in Mexico, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Brazil.

With this agreement, another 19 are expected to join the portfolio.

“We are excited to enter into this agreement with Marriott International, and introduce Blue Diamond Resorts’ portfolio of hotels to their Autograph Collection brand,” said Stephen Hunter, chief executive, Sunwing Travel Group.

“Our luxurious, award-winning hotels will benefit from Marriott’s world-renowned reputation and esteemed travel program, all while bolstering our mission to bring unparalleled vacation experiences to customers.”

The deal includes hotels in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Costa Rica, as well as St. Lucia and Antigua.

Marriott previously said it would leverage eight of its 30 global brands in the all-inclusive category: The Ritz-Carlton, The Luxury Collection, Marriott Hotels, Westin Hotels, W Hotels, Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio and Delta Hotels by Marriott.