As part of our “Caribbean - Open for Business” series, in which we profile the hottest selling points for Caribbean islands that were not scathed or majorly impacted by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, Travel Agent delves into St. Lucia's most luxurious resorts that you can sell now and some resorts on the horizon worth pitching to future visitors.
Sandals Halcyon Beach Launches Swim-up Suites
Sandals Halcyon Beach's new Beachfront Crystal Lagoon suites
Sandals Halcyon Beach in St. Lucia recently announced the debut of its new Beachfront Crystal Lagoon suites, which are available to book now. These romantic suites are steps away from one of St. Lucia’s finest beaches, with convenient swim-up access from the Crystal Lagoon pool.
The new rooms offer views of the Caribbean Sea and the tropical landscape surrounding Sandals Halcyon Beach. Each patio has a tranquility soaking tub, around which couples and other guests can draw privacy curtains.
Inside the new Butler Elite escapes, guests will find a master bedroom with contemporary hardwood furnishings, a king-size bed and a large HD Smart TV. The spa-style bathrooms include a soaking tub, oversized walk-in showers, dual backlit mirrors, his-and-hers sinks and mosaic tile accents.
Visit www.sandals.com
Meet Serenity by Coconut Bay
In addition to butler service, amenities include in-suite gourmet dining and 24-hour room service, fully stocked and personalized wet bars, private in-suite check-in and check-out, Bose entertainment centers, Molton Brown toiletries and complimentary Wi-Fi.
We were told the best overall suites here are the Grande Plunge Pool Butler Suites, 1,900-square-foot corner units with a patio deck, a plunge pool with a waterfall, an outdoor shower, a gazebo and a lounge area with a fully stocked, wrap-around wet bar. The large, furnished living area includes a 55-inch flat-screen TV while the four-poster mahogany bed houses a rise-up 42-inch TV for bedtime viewing.
Premium Plunge Pool Butler Suites are comparable, if slightly smaller (1,500-plus square feet) and similar amenities are provided in the 1,250-square-foot Plunge Pool Butler Suites.
Although each of Serenity’s 36 butler suites has its own plunge pool, advise clients to take a plunge in the resort’s 3,000-square-foot main pool, with a 1,000-square-foot lap pool at its center.
The two-tier design offers 24 in-water loungers framing the lap pool while private Pool Cabanas and aqua circle beds are great relaxation spots. In the distance, guests can see St. Lucia’s Maria Islands Nature Reserve. Agents should note that the pool and the entire 36-suite resort can be taken over for private events.
For spa lovers, most Serenity guests prefer to choose from a selection of in-suite treatments. However, should guests prefer to experience an actual spa facility, the oceanfront Kai Mer Spa at sister resort Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa administers therapies in six air-conditioned treatment rooms with private showers or three private beachfront cabanas.
The 11,000-square-foot facility also houses two saunas, two steam rooms, a relaxation lounge, a changing room and lockers in addition to a full-service hair and beauty salon. Spa services can be booked upon arrival by a Serenity butler for clients staying in an appropriate suite.
Visit www.serenityatcoconutbay.com
Pitching Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort in St. Lucia to Millennials
Rendering of Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort’s Beachfront Collection // Photo courtesy of Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort
We recently sat down with Molly McDaniel, director of public relations and associate director of sales and marketing for Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort, and came away with a wealth of selling points for Millennials looking to visit St. Lucia this winter and beyond.
Perhaps the best offering here for Millennials with some disposable income is the hotel’s new The Beachfront Collection, which offers the chance to stay at a UNESCO World Heritage Site between St. Lucia’s national treasure, the Pitons.
The first properties in The Beachfront Collection at Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort are nearing completion and will be ready to host guests beginning in December.
These two four-bedroom homes are the first of the five luxurious The Beachfront Collection homes, which are located on the sands of Glenconner Beach – the second of Sugar Beach’s two beaches.
Set in a UNESCO World Heritage Site between the Pitons, The Beachfront Collection’s interior living spaces aim to blend with the outdoors. Rafters have been left exposed, creating light-filled double-height living areas with floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors connecting to the outdoor terraces and pool areas. Each home has open views of the Pitons while landscaping keeps them very private.
Other features include Caribbean Sea and Piton views; four master bedrooms with an ensuite bathroom, private outdoor shower and balcony terraces; an outdoor dining and kitchen areas and full kitchens with high-end European appliances. The remaining three The Beachfront Collection properties are available to purchase, ranging from $8.25 to $15 million.
In addition to the two new The Beachfront Collection homes debuting in December (which will be joining the Sugar Beach room inventory), there are 21 other plantation Residences at Sugar Beach, ranging from one to four bedrooms. These accommodations are a solid fit for couples retreats and small family gatherings.
Other Millennial Selling Points at Sugarbeach
Other offerings at the Sugar Beach for Millennials include night snorkeling; rums tastings or rum, chocolate and cigar pairings with the hotel’s “rummelier;” hiking the Gros Piton with a local guide; "Snuba," which is a morph of scuba and snorkeling that clients can do without a scuba certification and the Sulphur Seduction Spa Treatment. As part of this treatment, clients are brought to the nearby Sulphur Springs, slathered with volcanic mud, rinsed off under a naturally warm waterfall and brought back to the spa for a massage.
Millennials can also take part in a farm-to-table day with the chef. During this activity, Millennials visit a local farm, pick their own produce, and then the chef uses it to prepare a gourmet lunch.
Visit www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/en/sugarbeach
Fairmont Targets 2019 for New Luxury Hotel
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts recently announced plans for a new luxury hotel, the Fairmont Saint Lucia at Sunset Bay. Expected to open in late 2019, the 120-room property will have 40 private residential villas and occupy 25 acres, including 1,870 feet of beach front, on the island’s southwest coast.
The new Fairmont resort will be 20 minutes from Hewanorra International Airport — which has seen increased airlift catering to luxury travelers in recent years — and will be the island’s southernmost luxury resort, offering access to the destination’s natural landscapes, beaches, waterfalls, rainforest and the Pitons.
Built into a natural amphitheater, each of the property’s 120 guest rooms and suites and 40 residential villas will have unobstructed views across the bay. The resort will also have four restaurants and bars; a 9,000-square-foot Fairmont spa; pool facilities, including a main resort pool and one each for children and adults, with cabanas; a private marina with moorings for yachts; and roughly 10,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting and function space.
Ritz-Carlton Coming in 2021
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC, part of Marriott International, has announced that it has signed a management agreement with Range Developments to open a property on the southern tip of the island in 2021.
Like the Fairmont, the 180-room Ritz-Carlton, St. Lucia will be within easy reach of the airport, and will also be in fairly close proximity to the Pitons.
Among the hotel’s many amenities will be ample meeting and group space both indoors and out; multiple dining facilities, all with outdoor seating; a spa that includes an outdoor treatment area; and several swimming pools, including one that will be designated as a quiet relaxation area exclusively for adults.
The Ritz-Carlton, St. Lucia is the anchor of a larger development project led by Range Developments, a multi-phase project currently titled the “Black Bay Master Development,” set on a total of 180 acres. The project will be developed under the country’s Citizenship-by-Investment program.
The Ritz-Carlton, St. Lucia will be designed and built to the highest standards. The project is estimated to create about 500 jobs on the island during construction, with a similar number once the hotel is operational.
AMResorts to Expand to St. Lucia With Two Hotels
Apple Leisure Group (ALG) subsidiary AMResorts has announced that the company will bring two of its luxury, all-inclusive resort brands to St. Lucia. These contracts mark the company’s entry into the island, and expand Apple Leisure Group’s portfolio to its ninth country.
A spokesperson for ALG told Travel Agent Tuesday morning that the brands for the AMResorts properties have not been decided yet, but an announcement on the brands is expected in the next few months. AMResorts has six brands in all: Zoetry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets Resorts & Spas, Breathless Resorts & Spas, Dreams Resorts & Spas, Now Resorts & Spas and Sunscape Resorts & Spas. With 16 properties in the development pipeline, ALG will have more than 60 open resorts across Mexico, the Caribbean, Costa Rica and Panama by 2019.
“The ALG family of companies has a deep-rooted relationship with the Caribbean,” said Alex Zozaya, CEO of Apple Leisure Group, in a written release. “We are invested in joining projects that bring tourism to the region, creating jobs and driving an economic stimulus.”
The resorts will form part of the new luxury resort and residential community Canelles Resort and Residences at Honeymoon Beach, which is being developed by Infinite Property Group, Ltd., a subsidiary of Infinite Holdings, Ltd.
Located on 209 acres on the southeast coast of St. Lucia, the project will also feature an 18-hole Nicklaus Design Golf Course and Club and luxury condominiums and villas upon its completion in 2020.
Visit www.amresorts.com
Travel Agent's Favorite Hotel Pool in St. Lucia
Millennials staying at the over-the-top luxurious Jade Mountain resort in St. Lucia won't have to venture far to find the best pool on the property. It's in their room.
Each of the roughly 30 suites at this hotel come with an infinity pool that begins from the bed, which is netted to protect guests from mosquitoes, and extends to the front of the living room with perhaps one of the best views you'll ever see at a Caribbean hotel.
Looking out from the edge of your pool, you can see the pride of St. Lucia: the Pitons, two gigantic, gorgeous green twin mountains. To your right is more ocean, which looks like a painting when the sun goes down. The bottom line is you can be in this pool, drinking a cold beer or a rum on the rocks, overlooking a real-life mountain. Enough said.
Each room has only three walls. Without the fourth wall, you are basically outside while in your room. You can catch plenty of rays just by sitting in the lawn chairs in your living room. Butlers, upon request, can bring wireless devices to your room, so you have Internet service if you feel the desire to connect with the outside world or brag to your Millennial friends.
Visit www.jademountainstlucia.com and keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for all your latest travel news. Be sure to follow Travel Agent’s Joe Pike on Twitter @TravelPike and Instagram @pike5260.
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