The brand's first all-inclusive
JW Marriott opened JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort & Spa above the bay of Playa El Jobo in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The property is the JW Marriott brand's first all-inclusive resort worldwide. Marriott International issued the opening release on 6 October 2026, and Hotel Online carried it on 8 October 2026.
The resort occupies the site of the former Dreams Las Mareas Costa Rica, converted to the JW Marriott brand. Mullen Real Estate Capital led the development, and Mullen Hospitality Management operates the resort.
415 rooms on the coast
The resort holds 415 rooms, suites and terraces. The plan follows a residential, villa-inspired arrangement, and the Presidential Suites add separate living areas. The property carries the brand's Mindful Rooms and Suites. Select ground-floor suites open onto semi-private swim-out pools.
The Griffin Club debuts here as the brand's first next-generation club. The release describes it as a resort within the resort. A well-being concierge arranges dining, wellness, activities and in-room preferences before arrival. Guests arrive through a private lounge and keep a personal assistant and well-being guides for the stay. The club holds a lounge open around the clock, a dedicated pool with concierge service and a private beach area. Northstar Meetings Group and the Tico Times report 45 Griffin Club rooms and suites.
Fifteen venues and 17 pools
The resort opened with 15 dining and bar venues. Leal is the culinary hub, where guests roast their own coffee and follow a seven-course tasting journey drawn from Costa Rica's provinces. Casado runs a wood-fired coastal grill. Puerto Limón draws on the Afro-Caribbean heritage of the coast. Luciano pairs Italian pasta-making with Costa Rican craft. Santos applies nixtamalization and wood-fire roasting to Mexican cooking. Borbón runs a botanical mixology programme, and Namuyaki and Boga blend Japanese technique with local ingredients. LaGloria honours J. Willard Marriott's first business, the nine-seat root beer stand that opened in Washington, D.C. in 1927.
The poolscape holds 17 pools, including an oceanfront infinity pool. The opening release calls the set the largest poolscape in Costa Rica.
A 16,000-square-foot wellness campus
A 16,000-square-foot wellness destination anchors the resort. It holds the brand's first Mindfulness House, the signature Spa by JW and a fitness centre. Spa treatments use volcanic clay, native cacao and local elements. The schedule includes a four-element Sibú ritual, hydrotherapy journeys, a sunset sound bath and cacao ceremonies. The Mindfulness House stands beside untouched forest, shaded by a native Guanacaste tree, and runs sound healing, Reiki and self-guided practice.
Architecture firm Phiba by DCM led the design with local architects, artists and artisans. The design narrative begins at a handcrafted walnut Lobby Oculus, conceived as the aura of Sibú, and draws on the legend of Sibú from Bribri and Cabécar Indigenous tradition. An art collection curated by Indiewalls uses locally inspired materials. The wellness programme takes direction from the nearby Nicoya Peninsula Blue Zone.
The resort offers more than 9,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, including an oceanfront ballroom and open-air venues.
Rates and the opening date
Starting rates begin at $900 per person, per night, based on double occupancy. The Points Guy read the booking page and reported rates through the end of 2026 as low as $656 a night for two guests, with Bonvoy redemption from 110,000 points a night.
Marriott's property page lists the opening as 30 September 2026. Northstar Meetings Group reported a 30 September debut in its 15 September 2026 copy. The Tico Times had earlier carried a planned 10 September date that slipped.
"Costa Rica has become one of the most compelling luxury destinations in Latin America, making it the ideal setting for such a significant milestone for JW Marriott," said Federico Greppi, President of Marriott International, Caribbean and Latin America.
Javier Coll, President of Mullen Hospitality Management, said the category has evolved and that today's luxury traveller expects more than the convenience traditionally tied to all-inclusive. Bruce Rohr, Vice President and Global Brand Leader for JW Marriott, said the opening introduces a new expression of the brand.
The resort sits in Guanacaste Province. The Área de Conservación Guanacaste, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, sits in the same province.