Robert De Niro to Develop $250 Million Hotel Project in Barbuda

By: - November 30th, 2014

Above: Robert De Niro signs the agreement

By Alexander Britell

Film star Robert De Niro has signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a hotel project on the island of Barbuda.

De Niro signed a memorandum of understanding with Prime Minister Gaston Browne this week for an investment project pegged at around $250 million.

De Niro, who is reportedly a frequent guest to Antigua’s Jumby Bay hotel, was also named by Browne as the country’s newest “special economic envoy.”

“We are indeed very delighted that you will be embarking on a very exciting project on Barbuda, transforming the island, making it one of the most exciting islands in the region,” Browne said. “It is my belief that your celebrity status will attract more American celebrities to Antigua and Barbuda and the Caribbean.”

The project, which De Niro is undertaking with Australian James Packer, will involve the renovation and expansion of the K-Club on Barbuda.

It’s not De Niro’s first hotel project; in the last few decades he has quietly built a sizable hospitality portfolio, highlighted by his work with restaurateur Nobu Matsuhisa on the Nobu restaurants and the Nobu hotel brand, which has properties in six locations around the world.

De Niro will not be developing the Barbuda project under the Nobu brand; it will be developed under the “Paradise Found” brand, according to Browne.

The move comes after the country’s government announced earlier this year plans to develop a new hotel and an improved airport on Antigua’s sister island.

“We expect this project to be one of the most exciting projects in the Caribbean,” Browne said.

Antigua

In Search of the Caribbean’s Only Cactus Liqueur

By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon CJ Travel Editor “Have you ever tried drinking a cactus?” the tour guide asks, knowing full well what my answer will be. But I’m here at Cadushy of Bonaire, where they make a liqueur of the same name from the Dutch Caribbean island’s Kadushi cactus, to remedy that situation. In the town […]

Antigua

Island Bites: French Fry Hopping in Willemstad, Curacao

If you travel anywhere in the Dutch Caribbean, you’re likely to find terrific french fries, something these islands have in common with their mainland countrymen in the Netherlands. And that’s nowhere more true than in Willemstad, Curacao, which happens to have some seriously good fries — and in abundance, too. And while you can scour the […]

Antigua

Jamaica's First "Smart City?"

Above: the audience at the Western Jamaica Economic Forum By the Caribbean Journal staff Could Montego Bay become Jamaica’s first “Smart City?” That’s the possibility under the Inter-American Development Bank’s Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative, which will be launched next year. Jamaica’s Local and Community Development Minister Noel Arscott said the forecast was based on […]

How Long Does It Take For a Caribbean Company to Pay Taxes?

Above: downtown Nassau, Bahamas (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Paying business taxes takes a long time, no matter where you are in the world. In the United Arab Emirates, it takes about 12 hours every year — that’s the low end. In Brazil, at the high end, it takes a whopping 2,600 hours every […]

Earthquake Shakes Panama, Colombia

Above: a map of the quake (graphic: USGS) By the Caribbean Journal staff An earthquake caused shaking in the border region between Panama and Colombia late Thursday evening, according to data from the United States Geological Survey. The 5.1-magnitude quake struck at around 11:36 AM local time, at a depth of 51 kilometres. Its epicentre […]

This Caribbean Island Is Getting Two "Major" New Hotel Projects

 Above: downtown Nassau, Bahamas (CJ Photo) By the Caribbean Journal staff Paying business taxes takes a long time, no matter where you are in the world. In the United Arab Emirates, it takes about 12 hours every year — that’s the low end. In Brazil, at the high end, it takes a whopping 2,600 hours every […]

Antigua, Cyprus Deepening Ties

 Above: Cyrpus By the Caribbean Journal staff Antigua and Barbuda and Cyprus are deepening their cooperation. Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades has pledged his country’s intentions to “forge closer ties” with the twin-island state, with plans to appoint an Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua and Barbuda recently appointed an Ambassador to Cyrpus, Dr Aly El […]