Hotels will be debut this fall

Durrant Pate/Contributor

Hotel chain Marriott will be debuting two new hotels on the Caribbean island of St Thomas this fall.

These include the long-awaited transformation of the Westin Beach Resort and Spa at Frenchman’s Reef and The Seaborn at Frenchman’s Reef, Autograph Collection.

The Plano, Texas-based Aimbridge Hospitality, which manages the Marriott brand, will manage both properties under the leadership of Managing Director Kurt Wiksten.

The Westin Beach Resort and Spa will offer 392 rooms, including 28 suites, most of which will offer ocean views, along with six restaurants and lounges; three ocean-view pools; a Heavenly Spa by Westin with 13 treatment rooms and 72,000 square feet of meeting and event space. 

The hotel will also have a private dock with access to nearby islands and what Aimbridge calls a “private adventure beach”.

It will be the second Westin-branded resort in the US Virgin Islands, joining the existing Westin St John Resort Villas on neighbouring St John. 

Ownership of both properties

The Seaborn, which was initially slated to be called Noni Beach, will have 94 rooms (including two suites) with four open-air eateries, an infinity-edge pool with a swim-up bar and 13,000 square feet of meeting space. Both properties are owned by Fortress Investment Group, which purchased it in May 2021.

They are being designed by architects, Kollin Altomare and The Johnson Studio. The two properties are connected by the beach at Frenchman’s Reef. 

Rob Smith, executive vice president of operations at Aimbridge Hospitality, explained that “Frenchman’s Reef has served as a pivotal vacation and celebration setting for many years and we look forward to reaffirming its status as a premier luxury destination with two new exceptional resorts under our management. We are excited to welcome guests to new levels of wellness travel and unique experiences”.

The two openings will only add to what has been a sizzling tourism renaissance in the US Virgin Islands, led by one of the Caribbean’s model destination re-openings after the onset of the pandemic. 

According to Wiksten, “we are delighted to manage the transformation and evolution of Frenchman’s Reef into an exciting new destination in the heart of the USVI and brings two entirely new world-class resort experiences to travelers around the globe. We are committed to ushering in a new era for this beloved property and look forward to opening our doors soon to a quintessential luxury St Thomas experience”.