Marriott International's Autograph Collection Hotels has partnered with owner and developer Andrew Ashcroft to bring the brand to Belize. The existing Alaia resort will be converted into an Autograph Collection and expanded before its re-opening in 2020 on the southern part of Ambergris Caye island.

Construction on Alaia has already begun in San Pedro, Belize as of late 2017. The brand plans to redevelop the beachfront resort in five phases, which include the conversion of 35 guestrooms, eight oceanfront villas and 56 condominiums. These new guestrooms will bring the total number of rooms to 155. I.E. Architecture and Brazilian interior designer Debora Aguilar are designing the property. The property is near more than 200 cayes with Mayan Temples, jungles, rainforests, archaeological sites, including the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave, a barrier reef and The Great Blue Hole for diving.

The Alaia will be the newest addition to Autograph Collection's 135-hotel portfolio in approximately 30 countries and territories. The updated resort will join the brand's lineup of five existing hotels in Latin America. These include the Hotel & Spa do Vinho in Bento Goncalves, Brazil, The Artisan D.C. Hotels in Bogota, Colombia, El Mangroove and Hotel Punta Islita in Guanacaste, Costa Rica and Sortis Hotel, Spa & Casino in Panama City, Panama. Alaia will also join Marriott International’s 21 operating hotels in Central America across Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

The new resort will also follow the opening of Autograph Collection's Roomers Munich, Germany's fourth Autograph Collection hotel. Gekko Group and Amsterdam-based interior design firm Concrete designed the 281-room hotel, which opened in early December.