RockResorts, a subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc. has been on a roll the past several years, adding one upscale Caribbean property after another to its portfolio. The company continues its expansion with the addition of Bimini Bay Resort and Marina, an existing resort on Bimini, the western-most island of the Bahamas. Last March, RockResorts began managing the existing properties, restaurants and its deep-water marina through the company’s property management collection, Legendary Lodging. When the RockResorts hotel and spa are developed and completed, the entire resort will be branded as a RockResort.
Bimini Bay Resort and Marina is situated on the northern tip of the island of North Bimini, the closest island to the U.S. mainland. Only 48 nautical miles off the coast of South Florida, the resort is accessible via a 25-minute flight or a one- to two-hour boat ride. The resort has the largest marina in the Bahamas, which makes it an emerging hub for sport fisherman as well as the boating and yachting community.
The resort comprises 350 individually-owned existing residences, many of which feature top-of-the-line, luxurious amenities, all within a neighborhood setting. The resort also has three restaurants, a shopping village, the Beach Bums children’s activity center, two outdoor pools, tennis and access to other activities, including scuba diving, snorkeling and boat tours. Future growth plans for the property include the development of a boutique RockResorts hotel with 80 to 100 rooms, RockResorts branded residences, a RockResorts Spa, additional restaurants, a beach club and environmental and sustainability projects. Also, an on-site casino will be developed for guests that will be managed by a separate third-party group. The estimated opening date for the RockResorts hotel is summer of 2014 with other projects, including the RockResorts Spa and beach club, set to open as early as this summer.
“We will bring our core values of environmental stewardship and community involvement that are integral to our RockResorts corporate responsibility program to Bimini Bay Resort and Marina,” said Julie Klein, director of environmental affairs for RockResorts.
At Bimini Bay Resort and Marina, Klein and the team plan to begin instituting the company’s initiatives, including the Water on the Rocks program that eliminates nearly all of the plastic water bottle usage by guests, a voluntary guest donation program for local environmental projects, a volunteer vacation program called “Give and Getaway,” a progressive sustainable cuisine program, a green guestroom program and the soon-to-be launched “Go Green, Get Green” meeting and event program.
Vail Resorts’ hospitality collection now includes 27 properties and hotels. Eleven of those properties are RockResorts properties, with the planned addition of two more this year (Balcones del Atlantico in the Dominican Republic and Alma del Pacifico in Costa Rica). Other resorts in development are Rum Cay Resort Marina in the Bahamas and the Third Turtle Club & Spa in Turks and Caicos.
Back in January, RockResorts International, a subsidiary of Vail Resorts, Inc., added the Half Moon resort in Jamaica to its portfolio and reflagged it Half Moon, a RockResort. The company’s other Caribbean resort is another well-known favorite of travel agents, The Landings in St. Lucia, now called The Landings St. Lucia, a RockResort.
RockResorts was founded in 1956 by Laurance S. Rockefeller and was acquired by Vail Resorts in 2001. In addition to its progressive environmental programs, RockResorts has become known for the quality of its guest service, spas and cuisine.
The Details
Bimini Bay Resort and Marinawww.biminibayresort.com
