Construction on Club Med St. Croix’s $75 million redevelopment of the historic Carambola Beach Resort moved into its next phase Wednesday morning with a First Stone Ceremony marking the symbolic start of a project expected to return the global hospitality brand to the United States and create 200 full-time jobs.
Lt. Gov. Tregenza A. Roach, Senate President Milton E. Potter, members of the 36th Legislature and executives from Club Med and VICI Properties joined local business and community leaders on the wide terrace in front of the Saman building for the July 15 ceremony. Guests were welcomed with live steel pan music, moko jumbie performances and a buffet breakfast before remarks began.
With the shoreline and blue-green waters of Davis Bay and the green bluffs of Maroon Sanctuary Park stretching behind, Club Med President and CEO Stéphane Maquaire described the redevelopment as a landmark return to U.S. soil for the company.
“For decades we have had the privilege of welcoming travelers to some of the most desirable vacation destinations in the world, but every destination has its own personality, its own culture, its own story,” he told the attendees. “When the resort opens here in 2027, Club Med St. Croix will join our exclusive collection representing the most elevated expression of the Club Med experience.”
Maquaire said the project is expected to create 200 full-time jobs, with most of those positions going to Virgin Islands residents.
“We expect to create 200 full time jobs,” Maquaire announced, “with 80% of those positions filled by residents of the Virgin Islands. We are already working with local suppliers and contractors and that collaboration will continue long after construction is complete. We hope this investment and collaboration will create a ripple effect that strengthens St. Croix and the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
He closed his remarks by thanking the people of St. Croix and those who supported the project.
“We are honored,” he said, “to become part of this community, and we look forward to growing together for many years to come.”
Edward B. Pitoniak, chief executive officer of VICI Properties, the S&P 500 real estate investment trust that purchased the Carambola property and partnered with Club Med, spoke of embarking on a collective venture with both Club Med and the people of St. Croix.
“We hope the new resort will become a wonderful expression of who you are,” he told the crowd of local leaders, “and of what you want to be for generations to come.”
Pitoniak also offered a new interpretation of the trident symbol used as the Club Med logo, describing it as representing a “tripartite partnership between St. Croix, Club Med and VICI.”
Potter placed the redevelopment within the broader history of St. Croix and its hospitality industry.
“When Club Med chose to return to the United States and chose St. Croix as the place to do it, they did not simply choose a location; they chose a legacy,” he said.
“This island has always known how to receive a guest, how to turn hospitality into an art form, how to make a stranger feel like family before the day is through,” Potter continued, “and that legacy did not disappear, it was waiting for a partner worthy of it. This ceremony is indeed a major ribbon cutting and a shoveling of sand, but more importantly it is a promise — a promise of jobs for our people, opportunity for young people and a new chapter for an island that has given so much to travelers for generations and deserves, in return, sustained investment in its future.”
Roach said he looked forward to seeing how Club Med would transform the historic property in ways that are “reflective of the heritage that we have been privileged to inherit and to share with the rest of the world.”
Carolyne Doyon, president and CEO of Club Med North America and the Caribbean, described the project as a new chapter for the company and said the island’s character would remain central to the redevelopment.
“The U.S. Virgin Islands represent an exciting new chapter for Club Med. For more than seven decades, we’ve welcomed North American travelers to our destinations around the world, and now we’re bringing that experience back home.”
Doyon singled out St. Croix’s natural beauty, community spirit and cultural roots as being “central to the project’s vision.” The project, she said, “reflects our vision for thoughtful growth, and meaningful connection across the Americas.”
The planned redevelopment will turn the Carambola property into what Club Med describes as “a model for sustainable, culturally rich, all-inclusive hospitality in the region. The property is set to join Club Med’s Exclusive Collection, the brand’s most refined portfolio of premium resorts.”
Club Med representatives also reiterated plans to work with local farmers, businesses and the University of the Virgin Islands to develop supply chains, apprenticeships and hospitality career opportunities connected to the resort.
Local business owner Shawnte Edwards, whose Detail Theory Studio in Christiansted will provide local design support for the project, was among those attending Wednesday’s ceremony.
“It’s a proud day for Detail Theory Studio and for St. Croix,” she posted on social media, “we were honored to attend the groundbreaking for the transformation of Carambola under Club Med’s ownership. As partners, we’re grateful for the opportunity to help shape another iconic destination on the island we now proudly call home.”
The ceremony concluded with a champagne toast and the ceremonial breaking of ground.
Construction on Club Med St. Croix is scheduled to be completed, with the resort fully operational, by the third quarter of 2027.
