Founder of the Courtleigh Hospitality Group Kevin Hendrickson has invested US$2 million in the renovation and rebranding of the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites on Knutsford Boulevard in New Kingston.

The hotel, which was renovated in phases, was officially completed earlier this week but has long opened its doors to business and leisure travellers. Its refreshed marketing strategy to lure new clients to its premises will include more focus on corporate mingles and themed events, while on an individual basis, it will seek to attract clients, particularly local customers, through special rates.

This year, Courtleigh Hotel will also seek to capitalise on revenue opportunities in food and beverage.

“Our strategy continues to target the business traveller, but we are also looking at the leisure market in more detail coming out of the Caribbean, North America, the UK and Canada, and to some extent, Latin America,” Group Director of Marketing and Sales Nicola Madden-Greig told the Jamaica Observer.

“We are also looking to engage more with our local community. We have started more corporate mingles, we are doing more themed events, and we will be doing more food and beverage or gastronomy-related events over the next few months,” she said.

Stretched over a 12-month period beginning in December 2022, Courtleigh’s renovation extends property-wide, with upgrades and enhancements made to each of the hotel’s 127 guest rooms and suites, the lobby area, pool/pool bar, garden terrace, and the popular Alexander’s Restaurant and Mingles Pub and Lounger.

The hotel has also adopted a new tagline – Unique, Personalised, Inviting – to capture the hotel’s “revitalised” atmosphere and guest experience, the company said.

Aside from the physical changes and new tagline, the Courtleigh has added a few sweeteners to secure repeat guests, including in-room authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee as well as a new PBX phone system that allows guests to make complimentary calls to international numbers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere in Europe.

The hotel has also reintroduced its “Borrows Programme,” offering guests who may have forgotten to pack crucial items, the opportunity to borrow them from the hotel during their stay. Items available on loan include curling irons, phone chargers, yoga mats, and more.

“We have a loyal clientele that came back to us after the reopening and we continue to deliver the personalised service that they are accustomed to.

“We have always had support from the local market, both persons staying in town or coming from out of town for events. This year we want to attract more of our local guests with our special rates, but we’ve also introduced offerings to cater to the demands our international guests,” Madden-Greig said.

Courtleigh Hotel and Suites is one of three hotels owned by Hendrickson, the former Wyndham Hotel at 77 Knutsford Boulevard and the Pegasus hotel. Hendrickson last indicated that developments at 77 Knutsford Boulevard are slated for spring 2024.