Saint Lucia’s tourism sector is set to expand within the next few years on the back of several major hotel projects. The island’s stock of hotel guestrooms will increase by 2,000 rooms over the next four years, and the expansion will create more variety in the accommodations on offer.
This year, the Royalton Saint Lucia Resort and Spa opened its doors with 455 rooms in two hotels one for families and the other for adults only. Serenity Villas at Coconut Bay Resort also opened its 36 luxury villas, while the Harbor Club will open in September with 117 rooms.
Work will begin on the Fairmont Saint Lucia Resort in Sabwisha, Choiseul in September this year. This resort will integrate local nature, a low-rise building complex and a range of recreational facilities. The hotel will include 120 five-star hotel rooms, 37 villas, three restaurants, a spa, commercial areas and three swimming pools. A central place within the development will be set aside for local tradition, with several shops for carvings and paintings available to travelers.
Reduit Beach is also set for redevelopment, and will be the site of a luxury dual-branded hotel Curio by Hilton. This property will be built on what was previously Rex Resorts was previously located, an all inclusive beach vacation hotel. The Curio by Hilton will have 500 rooms, 350 rooms assigned to the Hilton and 150 assigned to the Curio by Hilton. Work on this property will begin in the last quarter of 2017.
Work should also begin on the Honeymoon Bay Resort in Cannelles in the near future. This resort will have two hotels: a 250 room five-star luxury, family all-inclusive hotel and an 80 room, five-star luxury hotel. This resort will also have a museum and an 18-hole golf course and clubhouse.
Range Developments signed an agreement with the government of Saint Lucia to acquire the Black Bay lands and to develop Black Bay into an integrated master planned luxury touristic community. The Black Bay Master Development will consist of a luxury branded hotel and villas with other amenities on 180 acres on the southern tip of the island. The hotel will have 180 rooms and will be the central anchor of the Black Bay Master Development. Initial site works will begin around late 2017 and early 2018, and the hotel will be completed by the end of 2020.
Sandals Resorts International will add a fourth resort on Saint Lucia. The property will have 350 rooms and suites, including the Sky Pool Butler Suites, all-butler swim-up Rondoval Suites with an infinity-edge sky pool bar. Groundbreaking for the project will begin in 2018.
In addition to hotel developments, the island will create and capitalize on the concept of village tourism. Eight fishing villages will be transformed into tourism villages based on their attributes and strengths. These villages will be uniquely themed and development plans will be established in a participatory manner that addresses the villages’ infrastructure, culinary assets, architecture and capacity.