There were some developments this week in Jimmy Buffett’s vast business empire.

Buffett’s latest hotel opened in Jacksonville, Florida last week:

The Jimmy Buffett-themed, 202-room hotel from Margaritaville and Elite Hospitality is now open to guests. The new building features three Margaritaville-inspired restaurants including the LandShark Bar & Grill, a large pool and firepit, a beachside observation deck, fitness center, and meeting space in addition to its guest rooms.

The new hotel is located at 715 1st St. N., just a few blocks north of Seawalk Pavilion.

And in the heart of New York City, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Resort Times Square is on track for a Spring opening:

Despite the fact that businesses have been ravaged due to the deleterious effects of the coronavirus, New Yorkers have something to look forward to. According to a recent New York Post report, iconic singer and entrepreneur, Jimmy Buffett has plans to bring his Margaritaville Resort empire to Times Square in this spring.

The glitzy resort was originally scheduled to make its debut in the fall of 2020, but was upended by the coronavirus. Located in a 32-story building on the southern edge of Times Square at 560 Seventh Avenue, the new Midtown headquarters for Buffett fans will feature 234 guest rooms, 4,861 square feet of ground-floor retail space, five restaurants and bars including License to Chill Bar, 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar, Landshark Bar & Grill, Joe Merchant and Margaritaville Restaurant, as was reported by the Post.

Read more at thejewishvoice.com.

We reported back in November that a Margaritaville Hotel may be coming to Manhattan and today the plans were officially announced:

Margaritaville Holdings, the global lifestyle brand synonymous with fun and escapism, today announced it’s building a new Margaritaville Resort in New York City. Located in Times Square at 560 Seventh Avenue, blocks away from the bright lights of the entertainment district and New York’s most popular attractions, the 234-room, 29-story property is expected to open in late 2020. Once complete, the $300 million project will boast several Margaritaville food and beverage concepts, a rooftop LandShark Bar & Grill and pool, retail space and more.

“From the beaches of Florida to the Great Smoky Mountains to the corner of Seventh Avenue and 40th Street, Margaritaville brings fun, relaxation and a much-needed escape from the every day to any set of coordinates,” said John Cohlan, chief executive officer of Margaritaville. “The Margaritaville Resort Hotel and the lifestyle experience it offers will be the perfect complement to the exciting, fast-paced energy of Times Square and we can’t wait to bring this destination to the travelers and residents of New York City.”

The Margaritaville Resort in New York City will bring an authentic “no worries” vibe to the city that never sleeps with Margaritaville’s signature ‘casual-luxe’ design elements, a rooftop pool, St. Somewhere Spa and lounge areas overlooking the city’s famous skyline.

In partnership with International Meal Company (IMC), food and beverage venues include a Margaritaville Restaurant, LandShark Bar & Grill, 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar, Floridays Airstream Café, and an all-new concept, Chill Bar. Retail space is planned for the lobby, allowing guests a way to extend their visit to paradise and bring the island life home.

The resort will be developed by Sharif El-Gamal’s Soho Properties, in partnership with Chip and Andrew Weiss and MHP Real Estate Services.

“Margaritaville at 560 Seventh Avenue is a perfect addition to the pulsing energy of the Times Square submarket, which continues to thrive as one of the city’s most visited neighborhoods,” said Sharif El-Gamal, chairman and chief executive officer of Soho Properties. “We are thrilled to collaborate with one of the world’s most beloved brands and bring New York’s first Margaritaville to Times Square, where it will undoubtedly be a top destination for visitors and NYC residents alike.

Additional details regarding the resort’s amenities will follow in the coming months.

You may be able to waste away in a Margaritaville Hotel in downtown New York City soon, according to therealdeal.com:

Sharif El-Gamal’s Soho Properties, in partnership with MHP Real Estate Services and Flintlock Construction Services, is in late-stage negotiations to revive their plans for a distressed Times Square site once slated for a Dream Hotel. Now, the developers are working out a deal to build a Margaritaville hotel and restaurant, the first of its kind in New York City, The Real Deal has learned.

The Related Companies is expected to provide a $180 million construction loan for the project at 560 Seventh Avenue by year’s end, according to sources familiar with the negotiations. Related, which launched a $2 billion fund for commercial real estate debt last year through its subsidiary Related Fund Management, would not serve as an equity partner.

Though the exact size of the Margaritaville hotel was not immediately clear, sources said it would be similar to the Dream Hotel the developers once envisioned: 29 stories, 243 hotel rooms and nearly 120,000 square feet.

Representatives for Related, Soho Properties and MHP declined to comment, and a Margaritaville spokesperson could not be reached.

A mid-Missouri resort located on Lake of The Ozarks will be rebranded as a Margaritaville resort:

Tan-Tar-A Resort, a popular Lake of the Ozarks hotel and conference center for more than a half century, will undergo a multi-million renovation and be rebranded as a Margaritaville hotel, the chain of resorts named after a Jimmy Buffett song.

The 500-room Osage Beach resort 185 miles southwest of St. Louis is joining a growing list of Margaritaville hotels located primarily in coastal vacation spots, including Key West and the Cayman Islands.

It’s new name effective March 2019 will be Tan-Tar-A, a Margaritaville Resort, said the resort’s longtime general manager Fred Dehner. All 500 of the resort’s employees are being retained, he said, and new food and beverage employees will be hired for a Margaritaville restaurant and LandShark Bar & Grill that are being added.

On June 29, Miami investment firm Driftwood Acquisitions & Development acquired Tan-Tar-A Resort from Bethesda, Md.-based CWCapital with joint venture partner Sefira Capital, a Miami-based investment boutique, the companies announced Thursday. Driftwood has a licensing agreement with Margaritaville Holdings, Buffett’s company. Buffett, the 70-year-old flip-flops wearing singer of “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and other songs, has expanded his business empire to include real estate, alcoholic beverages and restaurants. Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.

The resort will remain open while the property is renovated to incorporate Margaritaville’s ‘casual-luxe’ design elements, Driftwood said.

Driftwood, which manages more than 40 hotels, also announced the acquisition of the Flamingo Beach Resort & Spa in Costa Rica Thursday. Tan-Tar-A and Flamingo will become Margaritaville’s 10th and 11th resorts.

Read more

Jimmy Buffett was in Tulsa on Saturday to perform a show at the grand opening of his Margaritaville Casino at River Spirit Resort Casino. Tulsa World has more:

“To the city of Tulsa, it’s great to not only play here, but to be part of the city,” Buffett said to the nearly 3,000 Parrotheads in attendance at the new River Spirit Casino Resort venue, Paradise Cove.

Saturday served as a grand opening party for the Margaritaville addition to the River Spirit Casino Resort, a feather in the cap of a $365 million renovation that has opened in stages over the last six months, starting with the Margaritaville casino and restaurant, then the hotel tower and music venue.

“One year ago today, we stood by as we laid the top beam on the hotel,” said Muscogee (Creek) Nation Principal Chief James Floyd. “We have a lot to celebrate today.”

And there was plenty of celebrating going on Saturday afternoon at the concert pre-party. The facility’s new ballroom was transformed into a tropical vision, with brightly colored flowers and beach balls, colorful drinks and colorful people itching to party, along with city and community leaders including Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, Tulsa Regional Chamber CEO Mike Neal and Muscogee (Creek) Nation, city and county officials.

Read more here.

photo Tom Gilbert/Tulsa World