It’s not the type of art you’d expect to see at a Marriott. It is, however, exactly what the owners of AC Hotel Kingston wanted. In fact, the conglomerate’s deputy chair Adam Stewart tells SO that not being able to bring a strong sense of Jamaica into the guest experience would have been a deal-breaker!

“My family and I are determined to play our part in building the economy of the Caribbean. This is a monumental occasion as we venture beyond the beach to establish our first AC Hotel by Marriott, said Stewart, who is also deputy chairman of Sandals Resorts International and the ATL Group of Companies. “We are excited to work with a global company like Marriott International, while retaining the local Jamaican touch for guests visiting the city.” He is to be applauded. For, swanky hotel aside, it is the art that has dominated conversation by the global cognoscenti both within and outside the walls of Kingston’s latest hot spot.

The collection includes several of Jamaica’s top emerging and established contemporary artists and was carefully chosen to complement the sophisticated yet unpretentious style of its renowned hotelier Antonio Catalan [hence the letters AC]. The brand was founded in 1998 in Spain, and brought into the Marriott International portfolio of brands in 2011, which launched AC Hotels by Marriott globally in France, Denmark, the United States, Latin America, Puerto Rico, and now Jamaica.

SO extends an invite to walk the 15,000-sq ft gallery space.