Best Hotels in Kingston, Jamaica
The open Kingston hotels I'd send a friend to, from New Kingston business hotels to the downtown waterfront and the Blue Mountains, sorted by who they suit.
At a glance
| Resort | Best for | Region | Price band | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Jamaica Pegasus | Best for business trips and conferences | Kingston | Guide | |
| S Hotel Kingston | Best for first-timers in New Kingston | Kingston | Guide | |
| ROK Hotel Kingston, Tapestry Collection by Hilton | Best for downtown and culture | Kingston | Guide | |
| Strawberry Hill | Best for couples who want the hills | Kingston | Guide | |
| Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel | Best for old-Kingston character | Kingston | Guide | |
| Courtleigh Hotel & Suites | Best for families and long stays | Kingston | Guide | |
| AC Hotel by Marriott Kingston | Best modern hotel for Marriott members | Kingston | Guide | |
| Altamont Court Hotel | Best for small groups on a budget | Kingston | Guide |
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Best for business trips and conferences
The Jamaica Pegasus
New Kingston’s landmark business hotel, open since 1973: 300 rooms in a 17-story tower on Knutsford Boulevard, with meeting rooms for 8 people up to conference halls for 1,000. Daily breakfast, the gym, Wi-Fi and parking are included, and the 24 Seven Café is open around the clock for late flights and early starts. The Olympic-size pool is unusual for a city hotel, and under 12s stay free, up to two per room.
- Good: Breakfast included, an Olympic-size pool and a café that never closes.
- But: Kingston's busiest event hotel, and the pool closes at 6 pm.
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Best for first-timers in New Kingston
S Hotel Kingston
The former Spanish Court Hotel, renamed S Hotel Kingston to match its Montego Bay sister: 125 modern rooms on St Lucia Avenue, a short walk from Emancipation Park. Buffet breakfast is in the rate, with Jamaican dishes like ackee and saltfish, and the Cabana Pool stays open until 10 pm, with a rooftop Sky Deck above. It’s the one I’d point most visitors to when they want a city hotel with some style, close to the Bob Marley Museum and Devon House.
- Good: Breakfast included, an evening pool and four places to eat and drink.
- But: Rooms take two adults and one child under 12 at most, so a family of four needs two rooms.
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Best for downtown and culture
ROK Hotel Kingston, Tapestry Collection by Hilton
Hilton’s Tapestry Collection hotel on Ocean Boulevard: the old Oceana tower, rebuilt and reopened as ROK, with 168 rooms (47 of them suites) looking over Kingston Harbour. The National Gallery of Jamaica is steps away, the Jamaica Conference Centre is across the street, and Port Royal and the airport are out along the Palisadoes. There’s a first-floor pool deck and a 24-hour fitness center.
- Good: Harbor views, and the National Gallery and waterfront on the doorstep.
- But: A taxi ride from New Kingston and Hope Road, and its details rest on Hilton's press releases.
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Best for couples who want the hills
Strawberry Hill
Chris Blackwell’s Island Outpost hotel in Irish Town: twelve cottages on 26 acres at about 3,000 feet in the Blue Mountains, with an infinity pool looking down on Kingston and the sea. The restaurant cooks “New Jamaican” food, the bar has a stone fireplace, and there’s a spa with five treatment rooms. Continental breakfast is in the rate under the hotel’s terms, and the Sunday brunch is a Kingston tradition.
- Good: Cool mountain nights, an infinity pool and a small, quiet setting.
- But: No air conditioning, a winding road up, and about 50 minutes from the airport.
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Best for old-Kingston character
Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel
A 1924 mansion on Waterloo Road, a hotel since the 1950s and now part of Best Western’s BW Premier Collection. Every room is a suite, from 450 sq ft junior suites up to the 1,100 sq ft Derby Suite, and breakfast is included. The Terrace restaurant sits in the gardens and serves Champagne High Tea, and Devon House and the Bob Marley Museum are close by on Hope Road.
- Good: All suites, breakfast included and garden dining.
- But: Every suite is listed for two adults, and weddings and functions are part of weekend life.
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Best for families and long stays
Courtleigh Hotel & Suites
A long-standing business hotel at 85 Knutsford Boulevard, beside its sister hotel, the Jamaica Pegasus. The breakfast buffet at Alexander’s is included, and it has more suites than most hotels in the area: one-bedroom suites with full kitchens, executive office suites and a 788 sq ft two-bedroom penthouse suite. Free parking, same-day laundry and free luggage storage help on a week or more in the city.
- Good: Breakfast included, full kitchens and a two-bedroom suite.
- But: The spa and the Blue Window restaurant are at the Pegasus next door, and the pool closes at 6 pm.
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Best modern hotel for Marriott members
AC Hotel by Marriott Kingston
Marriott’s design-led Kingston hotel, opened in 2019 and owned by the Stewart family of Sandals: 219 rooms with art by Jamaican artists and locally made furniture, in the business and entertainment district around New Kingston. There’s an outdoor pool, a 24-hour fitness center and more than 18,000 sq ft of event space for up to 600, and it’s part of Marriott Bonvoy.
- Good: A modern design hotel with a pool and a 24-hour gym.
- But: Dining is breakfast and a lounge, so most meals are out, and its details rest on Marriott's opening press release.
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Best for small groups on a budget
Altamont Court Hotel
A small, locally owned hotel of fewer than 60 rooms on Altamont Terrace, open since 1982 and a four-minute walk from Emancipation Park. The Junior Suite has three double beds and a bathroom and a half, so four people can share. There’s an outdoor pool, free Wi-Fi and free parking, and the standard policy allows free cancellation up to 48 hours before arrival.
- Good: Central, simple and practical, with a suite that sleeps four.
- But: Breakfast is only on breakfast-plan rates, the restaurant closes at 6 pm and the front desk isn't staffed overnight.
Kingston hotels are city hotels
Kingston isn’t a resort town, and none of these hotels is an all-inclusive. You get a room, usually breakfast, a pool and a bar, and you eat out in the city for lunch and dinner, which in Kingston is half the point. There’s no beach in New Kingston or downtown either. The boat to Lime Cay from Port Royal and the fish spots at Hellshire are the local beach trips, but they haven’t had an official update since Hurricane Melissa, so ask at your hotel before you go. If a beach is the main event, the best all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica are on the north and west coasts.
Which part of Kingston
Most visitors should stay in New Kingston, the business district around Knutsford Boulevard and Emancipation Park. It’s central, it has the most hotels, and the Bob Marley Museum and Devon House on Hope Road are a few minutes by taxi. Downtown, on the waterfront, puts you by the National Gallery, the Jamaica Conference Centre and the road out to Port Royal. Up in the Blue Mountains, Irish Town is cool, quiet and about 50 minutes from the airport. See where to stay in Kingston for the areas in more detail, and Kingston for visitors for getting around, food and what to see. The UK Foreign Office advises visitors who don’t know Kingston not to drive in the city, so book a hotel transfer or a registered taxi from the airport.
Also open
Courtyard by Marriott Kingston, a 129-room Marriott business hotel on Park Close by Emancipation Park, is open too. It’s left off the list for now because its lobby, restaurant and bar have just been renovated with the pool area and guest rooms still to come, and I couldn’t confirm whether breakfast is standard. Marriott members on a work trip should still look at it.
What I couldn’t confirm
Courtyard by Marriott, AC Hotel Kingston and ROK Hotel Kingston don’t have official pages that could be checked for these guides, so their facts come from the brands’ press releases and news reports. Room types, restaurant hours and what your rate includes can change, so check them with the hotel when you book. Every Kingston hotel with a guide on this site is open, according to the Jamaica Tourist Board’s list for October.
How I choose
Every hotel here has a full guide on this site, researched from the hotel’s own information and official sources and dated on the page. I only list hotels that are open. Picks are based on who each hotel suits, where it is in the city and what’s included in the rate, such as breakfast, plus local knowledge. I don’t compare prices, because rates change by the week; check the current rate and what it includes with the hotel. No hotel pays to be listed, and I don’t claim stays I haven’t had.
Questions people ask
Are there all-inclusive hotels in Kingston?
Not among the hotels on this list. Kingston’s hotels are city hotels: you pay for the room, breakfast is often included, and lunch, dinner and drinks are extra. For an all-inclusive, look at the resorts on the north and west coasts.
Which Kingston hotels include breakfast?
The Jamaica Pegasus, the Courtleigh, S Hotel Kingston and Terra Nova all say breakfast is included. Strawberry Hill’s terms put continental breakfast in the rate, and Altamont Court includes it on breakfast-plan rates. At the AC, ROK and Courtyard, check what your rate includes.
Where is the best area to stay in Kingston?
New Kingston, for most visitors. It’s central, it has the most hotels, and the Bob Marley Museum, Devon House and Emancipation Park are close. Stay downtown at ROK for the waterfront and the National Gallery, or at Strawberry Hill for the Blue Mountains.
Which Kingston hotel is best for families?
The Courtleigh has one-bedroom suites with full kitchens and a two-bedroom penthouse suite, and breakfast is included. The Jamaica Pegasus lets under 12s stay free, up to two per room, and has two-bedroom suites and an Olympic-size pool.
Do Kingston hotels have a beach?
No. New Kingston and downtown have no beach, so these hotels have pools instead. The local beach trips, Lime Cay from Port Royal and Hellshire, haven’t had an official update since Hurricane Melissa, so ask at your hotel first.