Margaritaville creates ‘all inclusive’ option
(CNS): With all-inclusive resorts often seen as undermining the benefits that tourism offers the wider community and economy, news that the Margaritaville resort on Seven Mile Beach is adding an all-inclusive option to their product offering is raising some concerns of a slippery slope. CNS spoke to a number of people in the tourism sector, who warn that Cayman should avoid moving toward this model as it will eat into the pie that those who depend on visitors for their livelihoods currently share.
However, their concerns may not be shared by either government or other members of the private sector.
CNS reached out to the Department of Tourism about the negative impact all-inclusive resorts can have on the wider tourism product, with more of the tourism dollar going directly to hotel owners and a limited number of importers rather than being spread more widely. But they have offered no comment about where the department stands on the expansion of such all- inclusive options.
Meanwhile, the president of the private sector organisation representing the tourism industry, the Cayman Islands Tourism Association, does not see any cause for alarm. Theresa Leacock-Broderick welcomed the move by Margaritaville to expand what it can offer visitors to Cayman.
“The Cayman Islands prides itself on the diversity of its tourism product, from the five-star luxury resorts and villas to modest local home-sharing options available,” she said. “An all-inclusive resort package is not new to Cayman and this type of vacation offering to our market will appeal to certain visitors while growing and diversifying our destination.”
She said there are hundreds of fabulous restaurants where visitors can enjoy diverse culinary experiences, ranging from fine-dining to casual and beachside eateries.
“With a growing number of personal chefs and remarkable grocery stores combined with well-equipped condos and villas, our visitors also enjoy dining-in and self-catering options,” she added. “Whatever the price point, as the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean, we know our standards and our visitors’ expectations are high. We applaud the management of the Margaritaville Resort for taking on this venture and contributing another offering to the Cayman Islands tourism product.”
However, some bar and restaurant owners are concerned that all-inclusive packages often see visitors limit the amount of time they spend outside the hotel or resort, if they venture out at all. Having already paid for their food, drinks and even entertainment and trip packages up front with the price of their vacation, they miss out on the full Cayman experience and local business owners miss out on the tourist dollar.
While Margaritaville’s all-inclusive package is still one of only a few such offerings, what worries some in the business is that such a high-profile resort may trigger more of the same.
- Fascinated
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Rat bats are in the roof, Stand in sunset coves parking lot at sunset and look up at margaritas roof.
An excellent tourist attraction. They also keep the mosquitos down.
Little known fact: The sign out front was designed by world renowned French architect, Phillippe Phillop
Margaritaville has for the last two years offered an all-inclusive plan and it does very well for the hotel so why is this news now? The hotel simply added another element to their rooms only concept.
Now they have a wholesaler involved, so I guess it wasn’t as good as some may have thought.
ALL major wholesalers sell this AI package. ALL.
$4,200 air/ hotel for Margaritaville in April- no thanks. Stayed at Treasure Island once before for $89. a night. Walked thru the property last year, and it looks the same with some painted parrots on the wall. Even with the AI option, this property is way overpriced!
The Department of Tourism better not take this lightly! AI is a credible and serious threat, not only to Caymanians but to all humans on Earth. Once computers become sentient and quickly evolve godlike powers we could be doomed. They may exterminate us as rivals for resources or simply view us a nuisance not worth keeping around.
#lame
As a resident, I was on the way to Little Cayman and our flight was cancelled.
There were many tourists in the group and we were all offered a night at Margaritaville.
It was really crap. Nasty rooms. I would never pay for that.
Jimmy Buffet needs to take a look. His name is being sullied by the crap in Cayman.
That place should have been demolished, not renovated. They just put lipstick on a pig. Read TA reviews. Just horrible.
Why didn’t you stay at your house seeing that you’re a resident?!
comprehension issues? He is Little Cayman resident
Where did the reviewer say, “Little Cayman resident?”
Where does it say he is a Grand Cayman resident?
Because it was offered?
Then accept without complaints. If you not like something, do something tangible about it. What will complaining solve?
This place should have been demolished long time ago, no idea what Margaritaville were thinking when they tried to fix it up.
It looks like alI inclusive is simply moving cruisers from ship (water based) to shore based accommodation.Guess some of CPR can’t be happy since some of them don’t want cheap cruisers.
Huh? You have a bone to pick with the majority of the voting population? Wah ya say?
Majority of voting population shouldn’t be allowed to vote.
That is certainly true when one looks at the quality of people elected.
Sad by any standard.
That place still open? Lol.
As long as there’s a choice — AI or not AI — then I don’t see a problem. Margaritaville is my choice of hotel in Grand Cayman. Friendly staff, good location but I would not choose AI.
I say no to AI. AI is an existential threat! Wake up people. Do you want to be enslaved or eliminated by a computer?
Huh?!
Some people just want to kick it in the carib and aren’t interested in exploring the island or leaving resort for dining.
“We’re in the Caymens”
cowabunga! get the beer funnel.
Wait a minute – will I be able to eat all-inclusive at Eating House 1503. If so, I see a staycation in my future. Yummmm.
Maybe if CI gov reduced import duties, restaurants could make food at a reasonable price and locals and tourists would eat out more often. As usual greedy government killing the golden goose.
Goose feathers : a lot of foodstuffs are duty free or reduced duty. Just saying.
Like?
7.50 Like chicken, bread, live lobster.
What’s the problem? Should we also ban all inclusive brunch that is loved by all? Same same.
All inclusive resorts are driven by the need for personal security in high crime destinations like Jamaica and D.R. When guests coming here figure out what Cayman is all about they won’t be happy about having pre-paid all of their meals at a Resort not known for great food.
Not exactly. AI resorts in Turkey are popular and make sense because the local food is cheap there. Not because visitors have safety issues.
My wife just came back and she loved vacationing in Turkey.
Yeah. I’d only do all inclusive in Turkey. That place is a shit show.
Idiot…
Sure I’m an idiot because a crazy dictator is ruining a great country. Ignorance is bliss hey?
Turkey is not a shit show.
Or you are talking about Cayman? The pile of shit 10 stores high right in the middle of prime tourism area.
Potato, potato
Strictly speaking this isn’t AI in the accepted sense. True AI includes all meals, drinks, flights and airport transfers, that’s what tourists from the UK and Europe expect. This is just a hyped-up meal plan.
To answer some of the previous comments – AI is not ‘low end’ tourism. That’s the myth DOT like to peddle and why they’ve always opposed the creation of AI resorts here. I’ve had AI holidays at a number of places around the world and it is definitely not a low end option. Many of the resorts I stayed at made most of the accommodation available in the Cayman Islands look positively Third World, certainly a lot better that they can offer in the re-vamped TI resort. The reason AI is so popular, particularly in the UK and Europe, is because it offers top quality holidays at sensible prices.
Current room rates at Margaritaville Resort start at about $550 a night plus taxes and fees. To me that’s not exactly a bargain and a quick check on the booking sites shows plenty of availability so people aren’t exactly falling over themselves to take advantage of this are they? In fact they’re already doing some heavy discounting (about 50%) for dates in February and March.
Is this really a new business initiative or just another attempt to prop up what many people still regard as an ill-advised venture?
LoL, TI Resort? I rented a room there for a year in 2007/8. It was $1300 a month, which for two was good value, but it was a dump and the problems seemed to be integral in the design of the property. I’d be very interested to hear how they cured the black mold and damp problems many of the rooms had because they were a serious health hazard, it was so bad I had to be moved. The other problem there (or least it was in the two rooms I used) was you could hear everything going on in the room above you. $550+ a night! Surely, that’s a joke.
They did renovate. I personally like looking at margaritaville over the drug den TI.
7:49 Old saying, ‘Beauty is only skin deep.’ Admittedly it does look nice now but how long will that last? That was the problem with TI, they’d fix one issue then another would arise and another, and another….
yawn…as usual ..local cartels are afraid of real competition.
bring in uber now!
We are so used to ripping off tourists now! There is nowhere locals can enjoy a cheap meal out with family as all the restaurants are only interested in visitors and how much money they can make!
The ghetto, ra ta ta ta, the ghetto!
All other establishments should then offer all inclusive packages from Airbnb to time share resorts. I hope it is not the government’s intentions to allow certain establishments to do so. However there will be some smaller businesses that will be forced to close but that the price of doing business today! Only the strong and those with deep pockets will survive. Why do you think Magaritaville has come up with this plan?
We have had “all inclusive” before. Spanish Reef in West Bay. Look what happened there. It will all come out in the wash. 😜
Beach Club. How’s that going these days?
You 2 not from around here? Or merely the last 10-15 years? Neither of those 2 properties stopped doing business because they were all inclusive…
Cayman is so small that I don’t see this being a problem. I think most people have an innate desire for exploration and no one wants to be confined to a hotel room or hotel property for their entire trip. I’m sure people will venture out to see the sights!
They’re likely offering this as a last ditch to save themselves, that place has been doomed since the start…the broken flip flop was a sign unheeded
It does not worry me whether it is all inclusive or not but they will soon see that they cannot afford the huge food and drink bills and revert. They don’t realise how expensive those things are here? However I wish them well.
Hi welcome to Cayman.
You can open a business but you have to run it the way we say.
What a joke
The type of people that want to go all inclusive deserve it. Spare the rest of us. It is unsustainable.
What are you fold so worried about?? We’ve had 3 (possibly more) places that have offered this. It’s not like all of them are going this route. It is good to have variety and if this keeps a tourist budget in place I see nothing wrong with it.
They will still book trips and spend money elsewhere.
This is nothing new.
In fact, setting up meal plans where you can visit other restaurants sounds like a brilliant idea! Someone should think about that.
The Carnival cruise lines of local hotels.
Then nothing to worry about.
All inclusive hotel, all inclusive cruise ships!,
Great news this hotel is keeping up regarding the all inclusive option like every country in the world has. Cayman has out priced itself and these hotels realise this. Well done
Margaritaville.
They have priced themselves out so well that the hotels are all booked and a new Hyatt and Hilton will be opened next year. Rough for the hotel operators.
Next Year, are you kidding? Unless the are made of Lego. Hotels takes years to build and Hyatt looks like a white Elephant. Do you see any major construction going on there? They clear the land for high season to lure people to invest in something that may never happen.
Margaritaville reviews on trip advisor: HORRIBLE!
3.5/5 That’s 70% for those that didn’t finish school. Certainly better than it was.
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g147367-d149254-Reviews-or5-Margaritaville_Beach_Resort_Grand_Cayman-Seven_Mile_Beach_Grand_Cayman_Cayman_Islan.html#REVIEWS
When countries use locally grown food, locally bottled water for their all inclusive buffets, it makes sense, because it is cheap.
Everything is imported here. They might try, but will realize soon the need to raise prices significantly.
Have you seen the prices!? They are astronomical. People are used to AIs being less expensive, party vibe places. This is more expensive and it is a flea dive motel that’s been refurbished more times that I have fingers.
$259 is not expensive.
“The “all-inclusive” option is absolutely NOT worth the added expense. There are severe restrictions (snacks are not included, limited menu at the Eating House restaurant, brunch costs extra).” January 2020
” Noise traveled between rooms, the door did not have a complete seal and the room shook from the running of the air conditioner. There was a smell to the room. The property itself is old and tattered. ”
” If you don’t take the all-inclusive option, which I would recommend not doing, food is ridiculously expensive.”
So, indeed, appears they did no soundproofing and probably just “re-furbished” A/Cs since it has the same issues as in 2009 when I lived there. The smell and loudness were the main issue for me. I had to tape it over with duct tape, I remember.
The soundproofing is the biggest problem at Margaritaville. Really bad.
Wait I can’t stop laughing, didn’t her brother say the cruise ships were a problem because they don’t share the pie because they could go back to the ships and eat and drink? Didn’t he say that the “stayover visitor” was the one that we make the most money from? The Cayman Islands prides itself on the diversity of its tourism product, from the five-star luxury resorts and villas to modest local home-sharing options available,” she said. “An all-inclusive resort package is not new to Cayman and this type of vacation offering to our market will appeal to certain visitors while growing and diversifying our destination.” Is’nt that the same as cruise ships?
The reef used to have an inclusive offering, not sure if they still do. I think the model to be concerned about but would be ones we see in Jamaica where tourists are encourage to stay on a large resort that has a private beach and everything all-in-one. I don’t see that happening with Margaritaville here, tourists are still going to want to walk up and down seven mile beach and all the other tourists will still be frequenting the bars and restaurants to they will see make plenty of money…
What might happen here is what happens on cruise ships when they dock – people leave for a look round or to take an excursion then come back at meal times because the food and booze is already paid for. The key to a good AI resort is either to put it somewhere it doesn’t compete with local businesses or use local businesses to provide guest services. I’ve no idea how this will work on SMB.
Yup, unfortunately, for them, SMB has quite a lot of food offerings and a lot of them are pretty good and they aren’t know for great food so there maybe a market for it but I think it would be a small percent of Cayman’s market.
Mass Tourism that is not what Cayman has ever been about but looks Luke that is the agenda the government are peddling.
Is this hotel owned by government?
Grand Cayman is beginning to go from high end tourism to low end tourism. We are following Jamaica and Cuba and cheap packages with people staying at Margaritaville will be offered on charters from Toronto starting next month. Certainly not smart. Next it will be casinos. Only a matter of time.
Sunwing from Toronto pollutes Jamaica with its minimum wage Canadians.Margaritaville next.
Canada’s minimum wage is $14 per hour. What is the minimum wage in Cayman, again?
Caymanians do not live in the real wage when it comes to minimum wage.
The minimum wage here is a disgrace to all Caymanians.
Sunwing is great for Canadian university students and people just out of school. Great deals is one is young, just starting out and want to party for a week. The Canadians are not minimum wage but students.
All inclusive there was added from last year at least.