MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica — Prime Minister Andrew Holness told developers at the topping-out of Jamaica’s tallest residential tower in December 2025 that new tourism projects must now include housing for their workers, and signalled that money for tourism-related housing could be redirected to hurricane recovery.
The event marked the completion of the structure of Swallowtail, the first of four towers at The Pinnacle in Montego Bay, St James, being built by LCH Developments, whose chief executive is Yangsen Li. The first tower has reached its full 28 storeys, the Jamaica Observer reported on 10 December. It contains 141 freehold residences of between 91 and 465 square metres, with completion targeted for 2027, according to the Jamaica Gleaner.
Speaking six weeks after Hurricane Melissa, Holness said new tourism developments would be required to provide worker housing or dormitories, the Gleaner reported. He also acknowledged the awkward timing of the celebration, saying “We can’t be celebrating luxury when there are thousands of households without roofs.”
What it means
Analysis: A requirement to include worker housing raises the cost of resort and luxury projects, but could ease pressure on rents in tourism towns where hotel staff struggle to find homes. It also indicates that public housing money will be steered towards post-Melissa rebuilding in the near term.
Editor’s note: This article was added to the Jamaica Homes News archive on 30 September 2026. It reports events from December 2025 and is dated to when they were reported.
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