Fairmont plans new Caribbean resort

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and Bulgarian company GP Group JSC have signed a deal to develop the Fairmont Saint Lucia at Sunset Bay. The 120-guestroom hotel is expected to open in late 2019 on the southwest coast of Saint Lucia in the Lesser Antilles. 

"We have very high expectations for this exciting project," Georgi Vassilev, Chairman of the Board of Directors, GP Group JSC, said in a statement. "We are confident that we have assembled an extremely professional and motivated team that will create a remarkable luxury resort that is unique for the island. We are also focused on creating additional value for the local community, not only by providing employment opportunities, but also by investing in the development of infrastructure in the region."

WATG and Wimberly Interiors will design the project, which is expected to "fuse contemporary design with preservation and enhancement of the natural landscape, conserving micro-ecosystems of small mango groves and lush mountain streams, protecting the beach from tidal erosion, and investing in mature landscaping instilling a sense of privacy." Built into a natural amphitheater, each of the 120 guestrooms and suites and 40 residential villas will offer unobstructed views across the bay. 

Fairmont Saint Lucia at Sunset Bay will join Caribbean and Mid-Atlantic sister properties Fairmont Royal Pavilion in Barbados, and Bermuda's Fairmont Southampton and Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, A Fairmont Managed Hotel.

Recent Fairmont openings include the Fairmont Quasar Istanbul, Fairmont Chengdu in Western China and Fairmont Fujairah in the Middle East. New hotels scheduled to open later in 2017 include Fairmont Amman in Jordan and Fairmont Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Fairmont will also open a hotel in Austin, Texas later this year.