Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company, has announced plans for further global expansion with the development of a 450-room resort in Barbados.Sam Lord’s Castle Barbados, A Wyndham Grand Resort, will be located in the eastern parish of St. Philip on the former site of Sam Lord’s Castle — a spot renowned for pirates in the 19th century and one that carries great historical significance in the Caribbean today.
The 58-acre beachfront property is being developed with the Barbados Tourism Investment (BTI) and will be managed by Wyndham Hotel Group. It will be the first Wyndham branded resort in Barbados. The resort will feature three on-site restaurants, 20,000 square-feet of state-of-the-art meeting space as well as an expansive luxury spa and fitness centre.
BTI chairman Everton Walters said the development will offer guests the beauty of the island’s beaches and access to its distinctive history, merged with the luxurious experience that the Wyndham Grand brand offers.
Sam Lord’s Castle Barbados was once a beautiful Georgian mansion built in 1820 by Samuel Hall Lord, a notorious buccaneer who, it is said, used to hang lanterns on palm trees to attract merchant ships whose captains mistakenly thought the place was a safe harbour.
It was later developed into a luxury resort, but after accumulating massive debt, it was auctioned off. A planned redevelopment never occurred and the once palatial structure was gutted by fire in October 2010.
The Chinese government is funding the new project. When it opens in 2018, the new resort will be Wyndham Hotel Group’s 13th property in the Caribbean.
