JW Marriott Costa Elena: how an all inclusive experiment reshapes Guanacaste luxury
JW Marriott is taking a decisive step with the new jw marriott costa rica all inclusive concept at Costa Elena on the remote northern Pacific coast. The former Dreams Las Mareas site is being converted into the JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort & Spa, an inclusive resort that shifts from family focused fun to a calmer, wellness led rhythm for couples and design conscious travelers. For guests who track every marriott point and compare hotels across Latin America, this move signals that the marriott brand now sees Costa Rica as mature enough to sustain a luxury all inclusive experience without diluting its identity, a point underscored in the joint announcement from Marriott International and Mullen Real Estate Capital.
The property sits within the Costa Elena community near Playa El Jobo in La Cruz, a quieter corner of Guanacaste where the forest still reaches the high tide line along the costa. The resort will offer 415 rooms, including 45 Griffin Club rooms and suites, 17 pools, a large resort spa and 900 feet of Pacific beachfront, which places it among the largest coastal hotels in the country by footprint yet still framed by intact Costa Rican dry forest. According to the official announcement from Marriott International and development partner Mullen Real Estate Capital, the opening is targeted for late 2025, with early indicative rates positioning entry level rooms in the mid to high premium range for the region, for example a projected starting band around USD 650–850 per night for two adults in shoulder season, subject to seasonal variation and final launch offers.
This is also the first time marriott international has attached its JW flag to a fully marriott inclusive model, rather than a partial board or resort credit structure. In the brand’s press materials, executives describe the project as “a natural evolution of JW’s focus on mindful luxury, translated into an all inclusive format that still feels serene and residential.” The resort spa will anchor a broader wellness program, with spa inclusive elements in certain packages and a focus on slow rituals rather than quick treatments, which aligns with the brand’s global positioning. For Costa Rican travel planners, the fact that the resort will open after a multi year conversion led by Mullen Real Estate Capital and the Costa Elena community shows how seriously the developer Mullen treats both design integrity and long term environmental impact on this stretch of costa rica, a view echoed by a local planner who notes that “Costa Elena has become a test case for whether large scale projects can genuinely integrate conservation goals into their master plans.”
Project documentation shared by Mullen highlights measures such as maintaining native vegetation buffers between buildings and the shoreline, limiting building heights to preserve view corridors and implementing on site water treatment and energy efficient systems to reduce pressure on local infrastructure. A recent Costa Rican tourism board update notes that new large scale coastal projects in Guanacaste must meet stricter environmental review standards, and the Costa Elena master plan is cited as an example of low density, conservation oriented development that still supports high value tourism. In public comments on the environmental review filings, a regional tourism official summarized the approach by stating that “projects like Costa Elena will be monitored closely, but they also demonstrate how premium tourism can coexist with the protection of sensitive coastal ecosystems.”
From Dreams Las Mareas to Griffin Club: what changes for couples
The shift from Hyatt operated Dreams Las Mareas to a jw marriott costa rica all inclusive resort is more than a logo swap on the porte cochère. Under Dreams Las Mareas, the inclusive resort model leaned into high energy entertainment, buffet heavy dining and a broad family segment, while the new JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort & Spa will prioritize quieter public spaces, higher room standards and a more curated inclusive experience. For couples who once skipped this bay because of the party reputation, the reimagined elena resort now reads as a Costa Rican hideaway with a marriott brand polish rather than a mass market playground, and early design visuals emphasize warm materials, shaded walkways and more intimate pool zones.
At the heart of the repositioning sits Griffin Club, the elena exclusive tier within the hotel that concentrates 45 rooms and suites in the best view lines. Griffin Club guests at this jw marriott costa rica all inclusive property will have private check in, butler service, a dedicated pool and more secluded beach access, turning the inclusive experience into something closer to a small club resort nested inside a larger resort spa complex. In Marriott’s own words, Griffin Club is designed to offer “a sanctuary within the resort, where service is anticipatory and the atmosphere remains calm even at peak occupancy,” which clarifies how the brand intends to differentiate this enclave from the broader resort experience and signals that couples seeking privacy will not have to trade that for the convenience of an inclusive rate.
Dining also evolves sharply from the Dreams Las model, where buffets and theme nights dominated, to an accommodations dining program that spreads across 11 restaurants and bars with stronger regional identity. Expect more Costa Rican ingredients, more Latin America inflected menus and a clearer separation between casual poolside inclusive options and reservation only venues that still sit within the marriott inclusive rate. Wellness programming will extend beyond the spa inclusive menu into movement classes and nature focused activities, and couples comparing spa programs across Guanacaste should read our detailed analysis in this honest comparison of Costa Rica’s three most considered spa programs before locking in dates, especially if they plan to combine a stay at JW Marriott Costa Elena with time at another costa rica wellness resort.
Positioning against Papagayo icons and what it means for Costa Rican getaways
In the Guanacaste luxury map, the jw marriott costa rica all inclusive experiment at Costa Elena sits north of the Papagayo Peninsula, roughly a 90 minute drive from Liberia’s Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport. Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo and Nekajui, a Ritz Carlton Reserve, remain the reference points for ultra high end resort stays, but they operate on a traditional à la carte model where every cocktail and excursion adds to the final bill, while the new JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort & Spa will fold meals, drinks, non motorized water sports, entertainment, taxes and gratuities into one rate. For many travelers, that clarity on cost is as seductive as the view, especially when planning a costa rica escape that balances adventure days with long, unhurried afternoons by the pool and a predictable final invoice.
Price positioning will likely place the jw marriott costa rica all inclusive offering below Ritz Carlton Reserve and Four Seasons on nightly rates, but above most legacy all inclusive hotels along this stretch of costa. Couples who collect marriott points will see extra value, since they can both earn and redeem within the marriott costa portfolio while enjoying a level of design and service that feels closer to Papagayo than to older inclusive properties. For a deeper look at how luxury booking patterns are shifting in the region, our guide to elevating your Costa Rica journey through premium hotel booking strategies outlines why northern Guanacaste has become the testing ground for new resort concepts and how travelers can use flexible dates and loyalty currencies to secure better value.
The broader question is whether this marriott inclusive move signals a wave of luxury all inclusive openings across Latin America or remains a one off collaboration between JW Marriott, Mullen Real Estate Capital and the Costa Elena community. Current data on Costa Rican arrivals shows sustained growth in high spending segments, and our report on what Costa Rica’s record visitor numbers mean for crowd conscious travelers explains why remote enclaves like Costa Elena now attract serious investment. For couples planning a costa rica journey, following the resort’s facebook instagram channels will help track opening offers, while our editorial team will continue to audit how the property, officially named JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort & Spa, All Inclusive, lives up to the promise that “Book early due to high demand, explore nearby natural attractions, check for special opening offers” and whether the on the ground experience matches the expectations set in the Marriott and Costa Rican tourism board communications.