The Best New Hotel Openings in the Caribbean
A New Chapter for Caribbean Hospitality
It’s the geography that catches the eye first. Aman crossing into the Bahamas on two private cays. Janu — the brand’s second concept after Tokyo — making its Americas debut on a remote stretch of Providenciales. Banyan Tree appearing 48 miles from Miami with overwater bungalows. Nobu, Four Seasons and Anantara each picking a different island for their first regional address. These aren’t expansion moves. They are signature openings, the kind a brand only does once per region, and they’re all happening on roughly the same calendar.
The second thing to notice is the scale. Most of the nine projects sit well under 110 keys, and several are under 50. Amancaya is built around 36 pavilions. Banyan Tree Bimini will have 50. Nobu Barbuda counts just 17 bungalows. The era of the 400-room Caribbean mega-resort isn’t ending — but a different model is being layered on top of it, closer to private-island living than to traditional hospitality.
Then there’s the timing spread. Norman’s Cay and Coral Sands are already welcoming guests. Amancaya, Janu, the Blue Monkey and Four Seasons Caye Chapel anchor the 2026–2027 horizon. Nobu Barbuda lands late 2026, Banyan Tree Bimini follows, and Anantara’s North Caicos resort takes the long view at 2029. Booking strategy matters here: some of these are decisions for next season, others are decisions for the back half of the decade. What follows is the full slate, organised by destination.
BAHAMAS
The Bahamas alone account for four of the nine most anticipated openings in the region — a clear signal that the archipelago has never been more squarely in the sights of the world’s leading luxury brands.
Amancaya — Aman’s first address in the Bahamas, set across two private cays in the Exumas over roughly 400 acres in total. Around 36 pavilions and a small collection of three- to five-bedroom private residences, designed in the unmistakable Aman language: natural materials, tonal palette, floor-to-ceiling openings, and architecture that recedes in deference to the landscape. The project is developed in partnership with Swiss investor Dona Bertarelli — a clear signal of the long-term ambition behind the site. One of the most anticipated openings in the region.
Banyan Tree Bimini — The brand’s first Caribbean resort, on Rockwell Island in North Bimini, 48 miles from Miami. 50 keys in total: 24 beachfront villas and 26 overwater bungalows — a genuine rarity in the Caribbean, drawing on the Maldivian template but recast for Bahamian light. The site spans 750 acres and includes 54 waterfront private residences. A full luxury island ecosystem, within private-flight reach of Florida.
Norman’s Cay — The Surf Club’s first outpost beyond Miami, on a private island in the Exuma Cays with its own airstrip. 49 villas, bungalows and cabanas in a pared-back, light-filled register, faithful to the parent house’s barefoot elegance. Three distinct culinary venues — The Yacht Club at the island’s highest point, the Beach Club at the water’s edge, and MacDuff’s near the marina. Opening in 2025, among the first arrivals of this Caribbean wave.
Coral Sands Inn & Cottages — A boutique revival of a Harbour Island institution, reopened in 2025 directly on the legendary Pink Sand Beach. 38 accommodations spanning rooms, bungalows, private cottages and four-bedroom villas, following a 2024 redesign that balances contemporary refinement with island nostalgia. Signature restaurant The Pink Mermaid leading the culinary offer. Smaller in scale than the headline Caribbean openings — and valuable precisely for that.
TURKS AND CAICOS
Turks and Caicos is hosting two of the year’s most strategic arrivals — Anantara’s first move into the region, and Janu’s first opening anywhere in the Americas.
Janu Turks & Caicos — Janu’s fifth global address (Aman’s sister brand) and its first in the Americas. Set on the northwest peninsula of Providenciales, inside an 18,000-acre nature reserve bordered by the Northwest Point Marine National Park. A curated collection of suites and branded residences shaped around light, air and connection — true to the Janu ethos, where the Sanskrit name means “soul.” One of the most closely watched openings of the season.
Anantara Turks and Caicos Resort & Residences — The first Anantara in the Caribbean, on the unspoiled Sandy Point coastline of North Caicos — the archipelago’s Garden Island, quieter and greener than neighbouring Providenciales. 78 rooms, suites and branded residences, complemented by a collection of beachfront villas. Architecture by Miami-based RAD with interiors by Meyer Davis, under Minor Hotels and an ownership group that includes Caroline Domange (formerly of Cheval Blanc / LVMH). Slated for 2029, but already one of the most anticipated Caribbean addresses of the decade.
BARBUDA
Nobu Beach Inn Barbuda — Opening in late 2026 along two miles of Princess Diana Beach, one of the most pristine shorelines in the Caribbean. Developed in partnership with Robert De Niro and James Packer, the project extends the Nobu brand into a low-density, residential expression: 17 two- and three-bedroom bungalows and 25 beachfront residences ranging from four to five bedrooms. Seven restaurants and bars, anchored by Nobu’s signature cuisine, alongside a wellness programme that includes padel, open-air yoga and a cinema under the stars. One of the major Caribbean propositions of the year.
BARBADOS
Blue Monkey Hotel & Beach Club — A reinvention of a storied address in Paynes Bay, on Barbados’ Platinum Coast. Formerly the iconic Tropical Escape Hotel and Blue Monkey Bar, closed since 2008 and reimagined by VARCHi Design + Build into a decidedly contemporary reading of Caribbean chic. 28 all-suite accommodations ranging from 720 to over 1,000 square feet, with Italian furnishings from Pianca and Puntotre, and select suites featuring private plunge pools. Signature restaurant Amara reinvents Lebanese cuisine on the Caribbean coast. A member of The Leading Hotels of the World. More intimate, more design-led, and more European in execution than most Barbadian resorts — exactly what was missing on the Platinum Coast.
BELIZE
Four Seasons Caye Chapel — The first Four Seasons private-island resort in the Western Hemisphere, on an entire island bordered by six miles of white sand and the world’s second-largest barrier reef. 104 oceanfront accommodations, including a series of Maldivian-inspired overwater bungalows, complemented by private residences and estates. The operation sits within the Caye Chapel Golf & Ocean Club, a broader development combining hospitality, residences and conservation programmes. A genuine rarity in the region — the Caribbean private island, rethought by Four Seasons.
Where the Caribbean Goes Next
A few things are worth noting before you start planning. First, the bookable window is unusually long: travellers can already check in at Norman’s Cay and Coral Sands, while Anantara North Caicos is a 2029 decision — so this list works as much as a watchlist as a booking guide. Second, almost every project on it is a brand’s first move into the region, which means the operating teams are being built from scratch and the early reviews will matter. The smart play is to book the established names early in their opening seasons, and to keep the longer-horizon projects on the radar for back-half-of-decade trips.
There’s also a quieter story underneath the headlines. The Bahamas have quietly become the most contested luxury market in the Western Hemisphere — four of the nine projects are there, across three different island groups. Turks and Caicos is consolidating its position as the high-end alternative to St Barths. And the inclusion of Belize and Barbuda points to where the next cycle of openings is likely to land: islands that, until recently, weren’t on the major-brand maps at all.
For more new hotels across the region and beyond, browse our full collection of new stays or read our coverage of the most anticipated hotel openings in the Caribbean.
Article published on May 27, 2026
Written by
