Bacalar, the Riviera Maya’s “lagoon of seven colors,” will be home to a new Marriott resort, according to Bacalar Mayor José Alfredo Contreras Méndez.

Contreras said the news followed meetings between Quintana Roo state officials and Marriott executives held during the International International Tourism Fair (FITUR) in Madrid earlier this year.

According to Contreras, construction of the resort is set to begin by the end of this month and will employ 500 people.

The new Marriott property is located near the coast of Bacalar Lagoon and features 60 low-density rooms to ensure sustainable development and preserve the natural beauty of the lagoon.

While the hotel won’t be directly adjacent to the lagoon, it will have an exclusive beach club for guests.

Contreras added that during FITUR, he held some 100 meetings with tour operators who will be visiting Bacalar in the upcoming weeks. He also announced that new investment projects would be revealed in the coming months, spurred by the increasing tourist interest in the region, particularly following the opening of Ichkabal and the launch of the Maya Train.

Bacalar is a popular tourist destination in Quintana Roo, near the city of Chetumal. Its name comes from the Mayan name Bakhalal, which means “close to or surrounded by reeds.” Bacalar Lagoon is circular in shape and shallow, allowing for comfortable swimming.

The new resort will be joining other Marriott properties in the Riviera Maya.

The resort firm recently opened two all-inclusive hotels in the Yucatan Peninsula: Paraiso de la Bonita resort near Puerto Morelos, which opened last month, and before that, the highly-rated new Almare resort on the Mexican Caribbean island of Isla Mujeres. The latter opened in October and was Marriott’s first all-inclusive resort in Mexico.

Both properties are adults-only hotels and part of Marriott’s Luxury Collection.

With reports from Reportur