Sports Illustrated Resort Marina & Villas Cap Cana is the first hotel in the world to bear the name of the famous American sports magazine, open to the public since December 15 of last year, in the province of La Altagracia, in the East of the country.
Fernando Hazoury, president of the Board of Directors of Cap Cana, offered the details in Madrid, Spain, where the International Tourism Fair (Fitur) is being held from today.
The project has a major investor who enabled the purchase of the Ancora Cap Cana hotel (located in the marina), whose transformation cost approximately $3 million, explained one of its executives.
“They have a very powerful partner, which is ABG (Authentic Brand Group, owner of Sports Illustrated), a billionaire company that has many businesses in the retail and branding sector,” Hazoury explained.
ABG's portfolio includes brands such as Aéropostale, Forever 21, Nautica, Airwalk, and Reebok, among others.
According to the businessman, the investors decided to open the Sports Illustrated Resort Marina & Villas Cap Cana in the exclusive tourist complex because of the lifestyle, "because of what Cap Cana is" and its location.
The new hotel has 150 rooms and the investors' goal is to build a beachfront hotel.
Hazoury, along with the Dominican Republic's Minister of Tourism, David Collado, and businessmen Chris Schroeder and Mark Korros, officially announced the start of the hotel's operations during a press conference at the Santa Barbara Palace in Madrid, Spain, according to Diario Libre.
In his launch speech, Hazoury said that the digital experience of Sports Illustrated Resort and the media power of its magazine Sports Illustrated, an icon in North American sports culture for more than 65 years, has shaped the narrative around sports.
Furthermore, just one of its annual editions reaches some 70 million consumers a year, with its cover being "the most coveted commodity in sports media" and "one of the most recognizable honors in American culture," from where the largest proportion of tourists to the Dominican Republic come, which is why he believes it will benefit the country.
Hazoury reported that Cap Cana currently has 11 hotels, one of which is under construction, and more than 3,400 hotel rooms, with plans to multiply them in the next two decades with the addition of recognized luxury brands that will help position the country and attract tourists with greater purchasing power.
He urged the Dominican Republic to continue with the current climate favorable to national and international private investment and to pursue the diversification of the tourism offer, with sports tourism, health tourism, music tourism, tourism for retirees and ecological tourism.
"Tourism is what will help us become a developed country," he said.
Cap Cana unique
Chris Schroeder, CEO of Sports Illustrated Resorts, stated that Cap Cana was chosen because it is one of the world's most unique sports-related developments and offers an active lifestyle, with world-class golf courses, an equestrian center, fishing and boating, eco-adventure activities, and a Sports City that features a top-notch mountain bike circuit
He said this has been just the beginning, as they work to expand other investments and developments.
Michael Sherman, executive vice president of Strategy, Enterprises and Tactical Operations at Authentic Brand Groups, added that they expect to strengthen their presence in a high-end destination.
Authentic Brands Group has an annual turnover of $14 billion and more than 6,000 stores in 150 countries.
Modified with information published in Diario Libre.
