Margaritaville Resorts Expanding to Orlando, Mexico, Caribbean by 2018
Thursday, June 23, 2016
The vacation ownership marketplace is about to gain another contender.
Margaritaville Holdings, headed by singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett and his business partners, are in the midst of an unparalleled expansion of vacation resorts across the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Their goal is simple—open 10 new Margaritaville resorts by 2018, and 10 more by 2021.
The resort chain’s current target is Orlando, with plans to open a brand new facility by the end of 2017. The Margaritaville Resort Orlando is their largest current project, estimated to occupy a whopping 320 acres of land. The resort will include a 175-room hotel, 1,000 vacation homes, and 300 vacation ownership suites. Also planned for the resort is a staggering number of amenities, such as a massive function space, retail stores, a dining and entertainment district, a waterpark, a health spa, walking trails, and even a water taxi system.
Jim Wiseman, president of Margaritaville development, said of the resort:
“Margaritaville is not a traditional hotel. We have a 10,000 square-foot lobby for a hotel with only 175 rooms; there is a three-acre swimmable lagoon right outside the lobby. It’s like having a Caribbean Margaritaville experience in the U.S.; it captures the escapism aspects of the brand. It’s an endless vacation concept which is about casual luxe. Guests check their egos at the door and you immediately feel like you’re in the tropics.”
Despite the immense size of Margaritaville Resort Orlando and its promising features to its guests and timeshare owners, it is just the tip of the iceberg for the new hospitality chain. Several other large scale projects are in development or in the works, along with newly-formed partnerships in the vacation ownership space.
The next resort to open will be in Biloxi, Mississippi, and includes more than 370 rooms and a 55,000 square foot entertainment center on-site. Following that at the end of this year will be Margaritaville Grand Cayman Beach Resort, the company’s first in the Caribbean.
After that, Margaritaville Holdings will prepare to expand further into the continental U.S., with deals in Nashville, Gatlinburg, Galveston, and Virginia Beach currently in negotiations. Add that to other planned resorts in Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic, and vacationers and club members already have a wide spread of Margaritaville resorts to choose from.
Finally, Margaritaville is opening the door to the vacation ownership industry through a lucrative partnership with Wyndham Vacation Ownership. Those who become Margaritaville Vacation Club members can book accommodations at two Wyndham resorts in the Caribbean—the Wyndham St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Wyndham Rio Mar in Puerto Rico. Both resorts have been rebranded to fall in line with the Margaritaville brand, which is already immensely popular from the songs of Jimmy Buffett and the chain of successful restaurants.
To learn more about the new Margaritaville resorts and where you can find them, visit the official website.
