The Ritz-Carlton, MARAEY — Photo by Marriott

Marriott International and MARAEY today announced that they have signed an agreement to bring the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve to South America.

The main tourist-residential sustainable project in Brazil, MARAEY is located in Costa do Sol (Sun Coast) in the municipality of Maricá, Rio de Janeiro. The Ritz-Carlton Reserve in MARAEY will join an exclusive collection of only five Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties globally, in destinations including Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Puerto Rico, and Mexico. Construction is scheduled to start in the second half of this year.

Ritz-Carlton Reserves are designed to deliver unexpected adventures and transformative travel experiences. Highly personalized service is centered around human connection while the design is reflective of the history, heritage, and natural environment of the destination, allowing for a culturally immersive stay.

The Ritz-Carlton Reserve in MARAEY will feature 58 unique villas, designed to offer complete privacy and impressive vistas of the ocean and surrounding Atlantic Forest ecosystem. The villas will be fully sustainable, built from natural certified wood, and elevated from the ground, allowing native vegetation and wildlife to thrive. The 90 to 155 m2 accommodations will all feature private pools measuring up to 60 m2. Resort amenities are expected to include a wellness spa, pools, and culinary venues, in addition to a dedicated leisure and sports area. An Environmental Reference Center and native-regeneration nursery will provide further opportunities for guests to connect with the rich and diverse natural environment.

The Ritz-Carlton Reserve in MARAEY will also feature 80, 250 to 520 m2 residences, offering two to five bedroom accommodations with balconies, private pools, and gardens with a bioclimatic design. The homes will also include quarters for staff and two to four garage spaces. The residential complex will house various leisure and sports areas, including a gym, event and grilling spaces, pools, sports fields, meeting and home-office rooms, and a spa and beach club. Residents will enjoy highly personalized services, such as a chef and butler at the residences, and more than 400 m of beachfront.

The MARAEY development will also be home to a JW Marriott All-Inclusive resort and the first Rock In Rio branded Autograph Collection in the world.

About MARAEY

The most innovative and sustainable tourist-residential project in Brazil, the IDB Brazil-conceived MARAEY is being developed in the Sun Coast, Maricá, and has as fundamental assets the protection of the environment and investments in academic research, with the participation of some of the main institutions in the country, appreciation of the local community, in addition to economic development.

The project will create the second-largest RPPN in Rio de Janeiro state's restinga forest (the fifth in Brazil) within the development's 840 hectares, whose building land occupancy is only 6.6%. MARAEY is a signatory of the UN Global Compact and has already received globally-recognized awards - such as the 2021 U.S. Green Building Council for Latin America and the Americas Property Awards 2022 for mixed used development for Brazil - the BIOSPHERE seal, in addition to the Sustainable SITES Initiative GOLD, and Geo Foundation for Sustainable Golf pre-certifications.

Based on Sustainable Development principles - ESG, private investment expected to be approximately US$ 2.1 billion, with US$ 1.3 billion in tax collection and generating over 56,000 jobs in the first 14 years (building and consolidated sales). The annual operation's collection is expected to be over US$ 191 million and generate 36,000 jobs once MARAEY is fully operational.

Together with Marriott and Rock in Rio, world-leading brands such as BMW, SegurPro, Mapfre, and Siemens keep up with MARAEY's development, as does the family of the beloved Brazilian tennis player Maria Esther Bueno. In addition to the tourist and residential projects, with over 8,000 high-standard new homes, the complex will also have a hospitality and high-gastronomy university, hospital, international school, a shopping center, an 18-hole golf course, and an international equestrian center.

Hotel website

Ritz Carlton
The Ritz-Carlton, MARAEY
Maricá, Brazil