The biggest hotel in Bermuda has been sold. 

The iconic Fairmont Southampton has been sold to a partnership led by Miami-based investment firm Gencom, the company announced. 

The seller was Europe’s AccorInvest. 

The hotel will be remaining under the brand and management of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Gencom said in a statement. 

It’s the second major acquisition in a month for Gencom, which earlier in December acquired an Auberge Resorts-branded property in Costa Rica.

It’s also the second major acquisition for Gencom in Bermuda. 

In 2017, a Gencom-led affiliate purchased the Tucker’s Point development in Bermuda, which includes the recently-rebranded Rosewood Bermuda. 

“Acquiring Fairmont Southampton demonstrates Gencom’s steadfast commitment to supporting the long-term growth of Bermuda’s tourism and hospitality sector,” said Gencom Founder Karim Alibhai. “The island is located less than three hours from most major North American cities, making Bermuda a rare and accessible paradise.  With a planned restoration, we aim to create a wonderful, updated destination resort experience at Fairmont Southampton for leisure and group travelers from all over the world.”

The luxury resort has 10 eateries, a par-3 golf course, a 31,000-square-foot spa and 29,000 square feet of meeting space, among other amenities. 

The company said it planned to “properly restore” the hotel. 

“As with Gencom’s purchase of Rosewood Bermuda, this major investment underscores robust confidence in our island’s hospitality sector and signals the start of a new era for this landmark property,” said Bermuda Tourism Authority CEO Kevin Dallas. “The acquisition and any resulting enhancements at the Fairmont Southampton resort will benefit the hotel, drive eventual growth in our group-sales sector, and strengthen the overall quality of Bermuda’s tourism product as we revitalize this industry to keep the island competitive. The Bermuda Tourism Authority looks forward to working with all parties involved to build on the hotel’s success towards an exciting future.”

— CJ

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Barcelo has officially launched its new Barcelo Maya Riviera resort on the Caribbean coast of Mexico. 

The all-suite, adults-only resort is set in the heart of the Riviera Maya, joining five other Barcelo resorts in the area. 

The resort complex also includes a massive new conference center with room for up to 8,000 attendees and 190,000 square feet of space. 

“We’re closing the year with multiple recognitions for the hard work and efforts by our Barceló Maya Grand Resort property team” said Stefania Ballotta, Director of Sales & Marketing at Barceló Maya Grand Resort. “We are confident this new all-inclusive, adults-only offering will elevate our property to new levels of service and offer an unmatched vacation experience for our guests.”

The 850-room resort, which includes 110 swim-up suites, has a four-pool complex, four specialty eateries and an art installation by noted Mexican artist Julie Sasson. 

The company told Caribbean Journal that guests at Barcelo Maya Riviera would have access to all of the company’s other resorts in Mexico. 

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The Dutch Caribbean’s first-ever Dreams resort has officially made its debut in Curacao. 

Apple Leisure Group’s AMResorts brand has opened the new Dreams Curacao Resort, Spa and Casino following a large-scale renovation of the former Hilton Curacao resort. 

The 197-room property includes seven dining options, a large casino with two bars, a PADI-certified dive center, a Pevonia spa and a prime stretch of beachfront on Curacao’s Piscadera Bay. 

It’s also home to a 16th-century Dutch colonial for that can be used for party receptions and other events, AMResorts said. 

The debut of the Dreams is part of a bigger expansion for the brand that will soon see the launch of another new Dreams resort, this time in the Dominican Republic, early next year. 

For more, visit Dreams Curacao. 

— CJ

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Low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines is adding more new routes to the Caribbean next year — to The Bahamas, Cozumel and Puerto Rico.

The company, which has been rapidly expanding its Caribbean network over the past several years, has announced plans to launch three new routes to the Caribbean for the summer of 2020. 

That will be highlighted by a new route from Houston Hobby Airport to Nassau in The Bahamas, with service set to launch June 13. 

That route will operate weekly on Saturdays. 

Southwest Airlines is also adding a new twice-daily flight from Houston to the increasingly popular tourism destination of Cozumel just off the Caribbean coast of Mexico. 

That route is slated to launch March 7, 2020, subject to government approvals. 

The new flights from Houston are part of a growing expansion for Southwest at Hobby, where it continues to ramp up its Caribbean operations, from Punta Cana to Providenciales. 

And Puerto Rico’s ongoing airlift boom is continuing with another new route from Southwest Airlines. 

Southwest is launching a new nonstop route from Nashville, Tenn. to San Juan, Puerto Rico beginning in June. 

The new flights, which will operate weekly on Saturdays, will also begin operating on June 13, 2020. 

It’s yet another new route for Puerto Rico, which has seen booming air arrivals so far this year thanks to a comparatively massive increase in flights from across the continental United States. 

That’s helped contribute to what Puerto Rico tourism officials call a tourism sector on the island that is “stronger than ever.”

That’s been boosted by a surge in new flights, both from traditional powers like Delta to upstart carriers like Frontier (which just added three new routes to Puerto Rico) and the fast-growing Spirit, which keeps adding to an already strong network of flight options to Puerto Rico.  

— CJ

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