New boutique hotel opens

Jo-Anne Brown, Mike Brown co-owner, Sally Hendricken resort manager, Ben Fisher co-owner and Kate Fisher. (Photos by Christopher.tobutt@gmail.com)


Riviera residential boutique hotel

As the sun set over South Sound on Saturday, 6 March, invited guests, tourism industry players and potential investors were in attendance at a gala reception and ribbon-cutting ceremony that opened the first phase of the new Riviera Resort, a resort combined with an investment opportunity, and one of the Cayman Islands’ newest attractions.

The guests and celebrants were greeted by the co-owners and developers of the Riviera, Mike Brown and Ben Fisher, as well as its staff, who helped make the project possible.

“This development has been a resort since the 1970s,” said Mr Fisher, “and many people will remember Coconut Harbor Blue Parrot resort used to be here. What we are re-developing is going to be Grand Cayman’s first five-star boutique resort, offering European style with Caymanian hospitality to resort guests from around the world.”

The development will consist of 58 luxury suites from studio apartments to three-bedroom luxury penthouse apartments, which are available to purchase, giving them the opportunity to stay at the resort and enjoy all its amenities for 42 nights of the year as resort guests.

The remainder of the year, the property will revert to a hotel suite, earning its owners rental income.

Situated on the coast in the picturesque community of South Sound, just minutes from the town centre, the property was originally developed as a dive resort called Casa Bertmar, earning a reputation for many years as one of the prime spots for near-shore diving on Grand Cayman.

“When the owners are here, one of the key differences is that they are in their own luxury suite,” said Mr Fisher. “Toothbrushes are in the holder; their artwork is on the walls … they are at home.”

When the resident leaves their accommodation, they do not need to take their belongings; neither do they need to worry about them getting stolen by renters.

Their possessions are stored in air-conditioned storage units keeping them safe, while their room reverts to being a hotel suite, giving them an income from their investment.

“This solves one of the big problems of ‘vacation’ ownership,” said Mr Fisher, “which is that typically, you either choose whether you want to live in it and have it really beautiful and use it for yourself, or whether you want to rent it out, in which case you are often worried about your personal possessions, and so on.

“Very often you get stuck between the two,” he said. “We have solved that problem for you.”

As a resort, the Riviera offers a full range of resort facilities, which includes a fine-dining restaurant, air conditioned with service outside on the waterfront, two bars including an at-pool bar, a Swiss-style wellness spa, gym, and business centre facilities.

The resort manager, Sally Hendricken, said that a second phase of the development will consist of a taller building on the opposite side of the pool deck.

“That phase will start in the summer of this year,” said Ms Hendricken, “for completion in Fall 2011. It will consist of 28 one-, two- and 3-bedroom luxury suites.”