Ponce's 69-room City Centro hotel switches its flag to Marriott
City Centro by Marriott Ponce Plaza & Casino, a 69-room hotel facing the public plaza and the cathedral in Ponce's historic center, began operating under the Marriott flag on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, El Vocero reported that day. The owner told the outlet the decision was taken last year to compete in a market where new hotel properties keep arriving in Ponce, and that the hotel wants more bookings, especially from business travelers.
The hotel has 16 years of operation, the outlet reported. It remodeled the whole property two years ago, acquired an adjacent parking lot, and is installing a cogeneration system to deal with problems in the electric service. Its Casino de la Plaza has 350 machines, and its private event spaces hold up to 25 people.
The hotel's permits
The permits filed for the hotel follow that account. A construction permit to demolish a building on a lot the hotel owns at Calle Unión and Calle Reina was filed on May 3, 2024 and approved, and an infrastructure recommendation for a new parking lot there, filed on June 20, 2024, was approved. A cogeneration project for the hotel won an extension filed on January 10, 2025.
On September 2, 2026, the hotel at 199 Calle Reina Isabel filed for and won a categorical exclusion for an emissions source permit. On October 15, 2026, the hotel's owner applied for a permit to install signs.
New hotels coming to Ponce
The new properties the owner mentioned are on file. A Hyatt Place next to the Juan H. Cintrón García fairgrounds applied for a consolidated construction permit on September 25, 2026, and the application is incomplete. A Hampton Inn with a retail building won two approved infrastructure recommendations in August 2026.
The One Plaza Business Center, with a 120-room hotel, offices and shops, holds a consolidated construction permit filed on May 22, 2026 and approved. The remodeling of the former Hotel Intercontinental as a 200-room Tribute Portfolio hotel with a casino won an approved infrastructure recommendation in April 2025.
What hotels and rentals ask
Hotel Las Colinas, a 56-room hotel on PR-505 in Ponce, is listed for sale at $3,650,000, or $65,179 a room. The city also has 262 short-term rentals active today, offered by 143 hosts, at a median advertised rate of $126 a night.