IBIZA — Palladium Hotels & Resorts has announced a US$21 million investment to upgrade its Grand Palladium and The Royal Suites by Palladium properties in the D.R., Jamaica and Mexico.

Of that $21 million, $5 million will go toward improving food and beverage offerings, which will include upgrades in steak quality, the presentation of food at buffets, higher-quality liquors at all bars and better minibar snacks.

For staffing, the company is increasing the number of staff by 13% over 2016 for a total of 8,243 staff members at all 12 properties in the Caribbean and Mexico. Bernard Wyss, director of innovation and product development, will begin work this month to oversee services that will be implemented at each property.

Furthermore, technology on property will be vastly improved. This means an upgrade of the Palladium Hotels & Resorts app, which allows guests to message the concierge directly, increasing the bandwidth of the Wi-Fi, installing better surround-sound systems at the pools, and updating the animation capabilities of performances. Also, additional trolleys to take guests from one property o another will be added to reduce wait times, while new pool bikes for exercising in the pool will also be installed.

The company also announced that it will convert the Grand Palladium Riviera Resort & Spa in Riviera Maya, Mexico into an extension of The Royal Suites Yucatán by Palladium to expand the resort’s boutique adult-exclusive offerings. This transformation will be completed in various phases starting June 1, 2017 and will carry through the fall.

The newly renovated property will feature a total of 454 guestrooms, 108 of which will have swim-up pools, a new beach experience with an adults-only Beach club, four à la carte themed restaurants and a new infinity pool. Guests staying at other Palladium resorts at the Riviera Maya complex will not be affected by construction.

Additional upgrades will be made at Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa, set to be completed by end of November 2017. Rodizio, the Brazilian steakhouse, will replace the current Hemingway Bar at Grand Palladium Bavaro Resort, while additional teppanyaki tables will be installed at Sumptuori Restaurant. A new area will also be added that will be dedicated to the popular ‘nikkei’ concept, a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines.

Plus, at Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort & Spa, the lobby and select guestrooms will be renovated with refreshed Caribbean designs, and a new beach club will be added to the adults-only area of The Royal suites Turquesa.