Business View Caribbean - February 2016 65
would be the right fit for each one. They always were
attracted to Jamaica, because it’s a well-positioned
brand when it comes to a desirable, tropical destina-
tion for many markets.”
The property that Karisma spotted, and ultimately pur-
chased in Jamaica, had been on the Seven Mile Beach
for over 20 years. “It was handled for quite a long time
by Sandals,” says Miravete. “But the owner was local
and when the contract came to an end, that’s when
we came. We didn’t want just to operate the hotel; we
really wanted to acquire the property and its assets.
Sometimes the stars align in the right way; the owner
was ready to hear options and we were the strongest
candidate at the time. We took over the property and
we operated it for a few short months and then we
closed it for about eight months and practically re-
furbished the whole thing. We opened in December
2013.”
According to Miravete, the Azul property was designed
so as to capitalize on the successful models that Ka-
risma was already operating in Mexico. “We already
went through the exercise when we began offering our
AT A GLANCE
WHO:
The Azul Sensatori Jamaica
WHAT:
An all-inclusive hotel and resort
WHERE:
Negril, Jamaica
WEBSITE
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