lvmh belmond
Belmond Cap Juluca.
News

LVMH Is Buying Belmond for $3.2 Billion in Luxury Hotel Market Shakeup

By: Caribbean Journal Staff - December 14, 2018

By the Caribbean Journal staff

In a move sure to shake up the global luxury hotel market, luxury group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has announced an agreement to acquire hotel brand Belmond.

The purchase of Belmond shares represented an equity value of $2.6 billion, in a transaction with an enterprise value of $3.2 billion.

Belmond operates a substantial portfolio of both hotels and luxury travel adventures, with properties in 24 countries.

Belmond is the former Orient-Express Hotels, which was rebranded in 2014.

The company was established more than four decades ago with the acquisition of the Hotel Cipriani in Venice.

LVMH Belmond

Belmond La Samanna in St Martin.

That includes Belmond’s already-strong Caribbean presence, with the Belmond La Samanna in St Martin; the Belmond Cap Juluca and the Belmond Maroma on the Caribbean coast of Mexico.

“Belmond delivers unique experiences to discerning travelers and owns a number of exceptional assets in the most desirable destinations. Its heritage, its innovative services, its excellence in execution and its entrepreneurship resonates well with the values of the Group and is complementary to our own Cheval Blanc maisons and the Bvlgari hotels activities. This acquisition will significantly increase LVMH’s presence in the ultimate hospitality world.”

lvmh belmond

Belmond Maroma in the Riviera Maya.

The deal significantly expands what had been a comparatively tiny hotel portfolio for LVMH centered on the “Cheval Blanc” brand — one that includes the Cheval Blanc St Barth Isle de France in St Barth. That property remains shuttered in the wake of Hurricane Irma, though it is now taking bookings for the first week of January, according to its Web site

In a statement, LVMH said the deal would “significantly increase its presence in the ultimate luxury hotel world.”

lvmh belmond

The Cheval Blanc St Barth Isle de France.

“Belmond has a seasoned management team and is an ideal complement to the Cheval Blanc masions, renowned for their exceptional service, architecture and unique gastronomy,” LVMH said in a statement.

“Following a strategic review that attracted broad and deep interest from a wide range of real estate and lodging companies, sovereign wealth institutions and other financial buyers around the world, the Board has concluded that this transaction with LVMH provides compelling and certain value for our shareholders as well as an exciting path forward with a group that appreciates Belmond’s irreplaceable assets and strong management team,” said Chairman of the Board of Directors of Belmond Ltd Roland Hernandez.

— CJ

Popular Posts caribbean resorts 2025

The Cool List: The Caribbean’s Coolest Places to Stay in 2025, From Adventure Resorts to Historic Inns 

It was one of the first major guides we at Caribbean Journal ever put together: The Cool List, whose first edition was back in 2013 and which remains an unrivaled curation of unique, character-filled, personality-driven, artful hotels around the Caribbean. […]


The 25 Best Best Beach Bars in the Caribbean for 2025, From Aruba to St Barth to Eleuthera  

antigua catherines cafe

You can find the perfect island. You can book the perfect hotel. But your vacation hasn’t really begun until you pull up to your chair with an ice-cold cocktail at the perfect Caribbean beach bar. For all of the wonders […]


United Airlines Is Launching New Flights to a Caribbean Island Famous for Volcanoes, Waterfalls and Luxury Hotels 

dominica caribbean island united

It’s an island with nine different active volcanoes. It also has more than a dozen waterfalls. And a boiling lake. And geothermal diving. And several of the Caribbean’s top luxury hotels, from the treehouse villas with plunge pools at Secret […]


Related Posts puerto rico travel demand

Discover Puerto Rico CEO Leaving for St. Louis Tourism Role 

Brad Dean, CEO of Puerto Rico’s destination marketing organization, Discover Puerto Rico, is on his way out, according to the organization.  Dean is stepping down to take over the role as president and CEO of Explore St. Louis, the Midwestern […]


The Best Caribbean Beaches for 2025, From Remote Corners of The Bahamas to Snorkeling Spots in Aruba

best beaches caribbean

We’ve been ranking the best beaches in the Caribbean for more than a decade, in large part because we know how essential beaches are to the Caribbean travel experience (and we’ve visited more Caribbean beaches than any other publication on […]


St Vincent and the Grenadines Just Broke a Tourism Record, Buoyed by the “Sandals Effect”

young island green hill in water

It’s one of the most remarkable stories of the year in Caribbean tourism: St Vincent and the Grenadines’ record-breaking 2024, in spite of the crippling storms in July.  Indeed, the southern Caribbean archipelago saw a 25 percent increase in stayover […]