Morning Drive By: Wyndham Grand Belize on Ambergris Caye

This morning we were driving to town to run some errands.  And about 3 miles north – at the property called The Venezia – a bit of Venice in Belize – I saw this peeking out…

…and came to a screaming halt.

A Wyndham resort?  In Belize?  WHAT?

Apparently yes.  But let’s back up a bit.

The Venezia del Caribe property has been under construction and pre-construction sale for a while – for at least a few years…and then for the last 6 months at least, it has been halted.

(You can see this post about the opening of a beach bar there in 2015 – it has been closed for at least 6 months as well)

You can see the website above – it’s a development done in Venetian architecture with canals throughout.  “Experience the unique charm of Venice and the crystal clear water of the Caribbean”.

Odd.  I have no idea why you would want Venice in Belize…I like Belize in Belize…but maybe that’s just me.

Let’s back up again.

Belize isn’t exactly known for chains of any kind.  We don’t have McDonald’s or Subway or Wal-Mart or Starbuck’s – but that isn’t because it’s illegal.  Belize is a small market (about 350,000 people) and import duties are pretty high.

We DO have a few hotel chains – there is the Ramada’s Princess Casino and Hotel in Belize City and the Best Western Biltmore Belize City.  Mahogany Bay Village on Ambergris Caye is developing their hotel under the umbrella of Hilton Curio and homes as part of the large magazine/lifestyle brand Coastal Living.

And now…Wyndham Grand!   I had to look it up to see exactly what Wyndham Hotels & Resorts are.  Here’s what I found…the Wyndham Hotel Group includes TONS of brands.  Days Inn, Howard Johnsons, Ramada, Super 8, Travelodge and Dream Hotels – it also includes RCI, the largest timeshare company in the world.

Wyndham Grand exists in over 40 locations – larger, luxury resorts.

Wyndham has a NUMBER of franchise possibilities…under all of their different names.  You buy into the franchises and you get marketing, expertise, systems, etc.

The famous Rialto bridge of Venice recreated in Belize from their website.

The website for the Wyndham Grand Belize is somewhat limited – and very similar to that for Venezia Del Caribe.

So I don’t know if there is a new owner or a new investor or just an investment in a franchise.  But I do know this will widen the exposure that Belize gets.  Will turn up the spot light.

And it would be great if this construction got started again both for those who might have invested in pre-construction and for the caye as a whole.

Do I have all the answers?  Not yet.  But stay tuned.