Coyaba Returns to Jamaican Hands
After about a decade operating as Zoëtry Montego Bay, the Coyaba name is back — and so is direct Jamaican management of this small Montego Bay hotel.
Coyaba Is Jamaican Again
Coyaba Beach Resort & Club has returned to its familiar name after about a decade operating as Zoëtry Montego Bay. Jamaican owners Kevin and Joanna Robertson never stopped owning the property, but they are now back in direct control of the hotel.
It is a small change on Jamaica’s tourism map, but an important one. Coyaba has only 49 rooms, yet its return raises a much bigger question: Should more of Jamaica’s hotels be owned and operated by Jamaicans?
A Familiar Jamaican Name Returns
Coyaba is small, personal and Jamaican-owned. According to The Jamaica Gleaner, 32 of its 49 rooms had reopened, with the remaining rooms expected to return.
Small By Design
In an industry filled with giant resorts, Coyaba’s 49-room size gives it the chance to offer something more personal.
The Name Still Matters
After years under the Zoëtry name, Coyaba is back. Early demand reportedly surprised the owners, suggesting the old Jamaican name still carries meaning.
Jamaica Needs More Jamaican-Owned Hotels
More Jamaicans should be encouraged to own and operate hotels in Jamaica. This is not an argument against international hotel companies. International investment has helped Jamaica grow, created thousands of jobs and brought millions of visitors to our shores.
But there can be something different about a Jamaican-owned and Jamaican-operated hotel: a different pride, a deeper connection with the community and a greater opportunity to make Jamaica itself part of the hotel experience.
A hotel in Jamaica should never be afraid to feel Jamaican.
Why Did The Visitor Get On The Plane?
A traveler sitting in New York, Toronto, London, Miami or Bogotá does not suddenly decide that they need to sleep inside a particular hotel room. Something happens before that.
They see Jamaica — our beaches, music, food, waterfalls, mountains and Caribbean Sea. They hear someone talking about the wonderful time they had here. Then they make the decision.
Jamaica Is The Product
We spend a lot of time talking about hotel rooms — new rooms, luxury rooms and ocean-view rooms. But Jamaica’s greatest tourism product has never been a hotel room. It is Jamaica.
You can build a beautiful swimming pool almost anywhere. You can put a king-size bed almost anywhere. You can build a beautiful restaurant almost anywhere. But you cannot build Jamaica anywhere else.
Our personality cannot be manufactured. A Jamaican conversation cannot be copied. The feeling of driving along the North Coast with the Caribbean Sea beside you cannot be duplicated. That belongs to Jamaica.
Bring Jamaica Inside
Visitors should not have to leave their hotel to discover what country they are visiting.
Jamaica should be part of the experience from breakfast in the morning until the music ends at night.
Don’t Leave Jamaica Outside The Hotel Gates
Sometimes a visitor enters a resort in Jamaica and could almost forget what country they are in. We should do the opposite. Bring Jamaica inside.
Put Jamaican paintings in the rooms and Jamaican-made furniture in the lobby. Buy more food from our farmers, serve Jamaican coffee at breakfast, give our musicians and artists a place to shine, and use more Jamaican transportation companies and tour operators.
And don’t be afraid to serve real Jamaican food. Our culture does not need to be hidden or watered down for visitors. It is one of the reasons they came.
Coyaba Is Already Showing Us Something
According to The Jamaica Gleaner, Coyaba currently employs 44 people, and some former employees have returned. One of them is Executive Chef Kavin Graham, whose relationship with Coyaba began when he was only 19.
Graham worked at the hotel for years before moving on and continuing to build his career. Now he has returned — this time as executive chef.
Think about what that represents: a Jamaican hotel, Jamaican owners, and a Jamaican chef who grew with the property returning to lead its kitchen. That is a Jamaican tourism story worth telling.
Tourism Must Grow Jamaican Businesses Too
Think about everything a hotel needs: food, furniture, transportation, flowers, entertainment, art, technology and maintenance. Now imagine more of those products and services coming from Jamaican businesses.
The farmer benefits. The driver benefits. The artist, entertainer, manufacturer and community benefit. And Jamaica benefits.
Bigger Isn’t Always Better
Coyaba has only 49 rooms, and maybe that is part of its opportunity. Some travelers want something smaller and more personal. They want someone to remember their name, a bartender who remembers their drink, and the feeling that they have found somewhere special.
Jamaica has room for the giant resorts, but Jamaica should always have room for places like Coyaba. We need both.
The Jamaican Experience Can Start At The Airport
For many visitors, their first real Jamaican conversation happens after they arrive at Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay. It continues during that first drive as they see the mountains, the Caribbean Sea and begin asking questions about the island.
Transportation should be more than moving someone from the airport to a hotel. It can be the first chapter of their Jamaican experience. Visitors who want their arrival arranged before landing can reserve private transportation through Best Jamaica Tours.
Montego Bay Airport TransportationWelcome Home, Coyaba
This may look like the return of one small hotel in Montego Bay, but perhaps it represents something much bigger: more Jamaican ownership, more Jamaican products, more Jamaican food, more Jamaican art and more confidence in the tourism product we already have.
Visitors do not fly thousands of miles simply because they want to enter a hotel. They come because they want Jamaica.
Don’t leave Jamaica outside the hotel gates.
Bring Jamaica inside.
Jamaica should be the experience.
