Marriott International is growing its portfolio in Latin America with the announcement of plans to open the 278-room Cartagena Marriott Hotel in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia.

Currently scheduled to open in 2014, the project will be operated under a management agreement with Promotora El Faro S.A., controlled by Spazio Urbano. The new property will join Colombia's existing JW Marriott Bogota and Bogota Marriott hotels. The hotel will be located in the Bocagrande area of the city, around 2.4km (1.5miles) from the UNESCO World Heritage site-listed city centre.

Plans thus far announced see the hotel lobby being the heart of the property, with spaces for meeting, eating and working. Facilities are to include a fine-dining restaurant, a spa, fitness centre and in excess of 1,000sq m (10,763sq ft) of meeting space. Spazio Urbano is a Colombian development company specialising in residential real estate projects. To date it has managed, designed or constructed 80 projects throughout the country, with seven projects currently under development in Cartagena.