Over the next few years, several high-end hoteliers have their sights set on planting their flags in the Caribbean. In fact, three luxury brands are well underway to making their debuts in the region.
• Mandarin Oriental: This summer, Mandarin Oriental made its official entrance into the Caribbean with the reflagging of an existing property in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The luxury company took over the Pink Sands Club, Canouan in October 2017, with the official rebranding and renaming taking place earlier this year.
Located on the north end of the island on Godhal Beach, the Mandarin Oriental, Canouan has 26 suites and six Lagoon Villas. The suites have one- and two-bedroom configurations with marble floors, touch-screen tablets to control the tech settings and en suite bathrooms with tubs and showers.
Each ground-floor suite has a private garden that leads to the beach, while first-floor suites have oceanview balconies. The two one-bedroom penthouses on the first floor have large foyers, living rooms, ocean-facing bedrooms, dining rooms with wine towers and adjoining kitchenettes.
The three-story Lagoon Villas each have four bedrooms. The master bedroom on the second floor of each villa has its own bathroom, dressing room and private lounge. Two bedrooms sit on the ground floor, along with a lounge area and den that leads out to the private infinity pool.
The spa at the resort, a focal point for Mandarin Oriental properties, has seven treatment suites set on the hillside. Each treatment menu uses Espa products. There is also a fitness center.
The resort has five restaurants and bars: Tides Bar + Grill for fine dining, Romeo for Pan-Asian cuisine, Lagoon Cafe serving Mediterranean seafood and tapas and Turtles and the Pool Bar for cocktails. The entire property is also part of a 1,200-acre resort community known as the Grenadines Estate, where four additional restaurants are located.
Rates begin at $1,300 per night.
But Mandarin Oriental isn't stopping at St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The company has plans to open a resort on Grand Cayman in 2021. The Mandarin Oriental, Grand Cayman will be a 100-room resort with 89 additional branded residences. The property will sit on 67 acres on St. James Point, which is farther afield than the more popular beaches near George Town.
While there are not many details available about the rooms, all of them will face the sea. There will be five bars and restaurants as well as a private farm offering a farm-to-table dining experience. The spa, in addition to treatment rooms, will have a fitness center, outdoor pools and tennis courts.
Rooms at the Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski on Dominica, which is set to open in 2019, will have views of the ocean and of the surrounding Cabrits National Park. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Discover Dominica Authority
• Kempinski Hotels: Kempinski is planning to open a resort on the island of Dominica in 2019. The Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski will have 160 rooms, all with views of the sea and the surrounding Cabrits National Park. Its four room categories include Junior Suites, Bays Suites, Executive Suites and a Presidential Villa, which will have two bedrooms, indoor/outdoor living spaces, kitchen, private pool and a private spa treatment room.
Other facilities will include a spa, a gym, an all-weather tennis court, hot- and cold-water pools and three restaurants. There will also be a Beach Club Terrace and a Children's Club as well as an outdoor amphitheater for events.
Colin Piper, CEO of the Discover Dominica Authority, said that the opening of the Kempinski is part of Dominica's larger tourism growth strategy to have more luxury resorts on the island. Coming in late 2020 will be the Anichi Resort & Spa, which is a member of Marriott International's Autograph Collection. The resort will have 128 rooms and suites with private plunge pools. Specialty restaurants, infinity pools with swim-up bars and a spa are also planned.
"Dominica's tourism master plan indicated a number of strategies to improve the tourism industry on land," Piper said. "The analysis indicated that based on Dominica's footprint and taking into account our competitive advantages, that the luxury class would be the right approach. This would essentially create a separate class of supply and an experience that was not prevalent on the island before, while not affecting the nature island experience that so many smaller and intimate, family-owned and boutique properties had on offer."
A rendering of the Andaz Turks & Caicos Residences, scheduled to open in 2021.
• Andaz Hotels & Resorts: Turks and Caicos will welcome the Andaz Turks & Caicos Residences in 2021. The resort and residences on Grace Bay Beach will feature 59 hotel rooms and 74 residences.
Other amenities will include an indoor/outdoor spa, a fitness studio, gardens, tennis courts, watersports, snorkeling along Bight Reef, three restaurants and three bars. There will also be a pool overlooking the beach and an activity club for children.