By the Caribbean Journal staff

The largest independent hotel management company in the United States is set for a major Caribbean expansion — at some of the hottest properties in the region.

Dallas-based Aimbridge Hospitality has announced the addition of six Caribbean resorts to its growing management portfolio, the company said this week.

That includes the Curacao Marriott; the Grand Hyatt Grand Cayman, set to debut in 2021; the new Margaritaville Beach Resort at The Pointe in Nassau, set to open in June 2020, and the new Hyatt Regency Coco Beach, which just relaunched under the Hyatt umbrella this summer as part of a wider renovation and rebranding.

The Frenchman’s Reef Marriott property in St Thomas.

Aimbridge is also coming to St Thomas’ Marriott Frenchman’s Reef, which will open in the spring of 2020, along with the adjacent Autograph Collection Morningstar Marriott Beach Resort in St Thomas, which anticipates opening in the spring of 2020 as well.

A rendering of the Margaritaville complex in Nassau.

Aimbridge also said the Renaissance St Croix Carambola Resort and Spa in the USVI is also undergoing renovations and is slated to debut next spring as well.

“The acquisition of these resorts is a great expansion for our Caribbean portfolio,” said Dave Johnson, Chairman and CEO at Aimbridge Hospitality. “The devastation from the 2017 hurricanes has produced a tremendous opportunity as newly renovated and revamped assets look to relaunch and reposition back into the marketplace.”

Aimbrdge now represents nine resorts in the Caribbean in eight different Caribbean destinations, with what it called “immediate plans to continue expanding.”

Saint Lucia’s Harbor Club is part of Aimbridge’s existing regional portfolio.

The company said it was planning to add 10-12 additional Caribbean resorts in the pipeline in the next two years.

The moves place Aimbridge at the forefront of the Caribbean’s ongoing hotel boom, particularly at some of the region’s most highly anticipated properties like The Pointe.

— CJ