DEVELOPMENT
Latitiude active adult community condos and homes are open in Daytona Beach , Florida , and Hilton Head , South Carolina , with others under development in Florida .
million deal in New York ’ s Times Square , a US $ 700 million just-opened property in Orlando , Florida , and another US $ 250 project in Nassau , Bahamas , with China Construction America .
Cohlan points to the newly opened Nashville project across from the convention center as an exciting in-town project that could signal what ’ s ahead . “ John Belden has said to me , ‘ There are 50 Nashvilles around the country .’ It ’ s a huge opportunity .”
Lake locations are also a big opportunity . Margaritaville recently converted an old Marriott in Lake of the Ozarks , Missouri , that Cohlan calls a slam dunk success . A property is under construction on Lake Conroe outside Houston ; two years ago , at Lake Lanier outside Atlanta , the company took over the water park , F & B and basically the entire beach experience . Cohlan says it will likely take over and rebrand another property there , with more to come as a convention center comes online .
“ The food and beverage / entertainment business at Lake Lanier went up by 60 % to 70 % the first year we took it over , and this year we ’ re up 20 % to 30 %,” Cohlan says . Then there is the new all-inclusive
LIFESTYLE
EXTENSIONS
Margaritaville has several hotel-related brand extensions ranging from vacation rentals to condos and active 55-plus communities .
Margaritaville Vacation Club , the only non-Wyndham brand in the system , is a part of Wyndham Destinations ’ vacation ownership and exchange company and most recently announced its fourth opening in Las Vegas , set for February . Its vacation club site in Nashville , which is integrated into a Margaritaville hotel project , is home to Radio Margaritaville ’ s Nashville studio , heard worldwide on SiriusXM . John Cohlan , co-founder and CEO of Palm Beach , Florida-based Margarita Holdings , is bullish on this partnership ’ s future .
Its Latitude Margaritaville is a portfolio of active adult communities developed by , among others , Canada-based master developer Minto Communities . Offering resort-style amenities , Latitude Margaritaville is for people who want to “ live their back nine ” the Margaritaville way , Cohlan says .
The most recent project announced is with master developer Minto Communities USA and The St . Joe Co . to develop Latitude Margaritaville Watersound in Florida ’ s Panhandle region , near Panama City Beach . The community is projected to break ground by year-end on the first phase of the project , which is anticipated to include approximately 3,500 homes with supporting sales center , community amenities and infrastructure . The St . Joe ’ s Bay-Walton Sector Plan is entitled for a total of 170,000 homes . Over time , the big master development in Panama Beach is expected to lead to 150,000 home sales .
The first Latitude Margaritaville opened in Daytona Beach , Florida , a second is now open in the Hilton Head , South Carolina area , and more are planned for some of the nation ’ s most popular
32 hotelsmag . com January / February 2020