An idea five years in the making, whose beginning pre-dates the pandemic when tourism was setting records, was officially realised with the grand opening of the Hotel Indigo Grand Cayman on Thursday.
“We hosted our project kickoff meeting on this very site the second week of March 2020,” Gary Gibbs, Dart executive president of development, said at the opening ceremony.
Gibbs, and others who spoke at the opening, remembered the challenges of pushing forward with the construction amid border closures, supply chain interruptions, inflation and more. But they also took the opportunity to celebrate the launch of the newest addition to Cayman’s hospitality offerings.
Topping 8,000 rooms
The hotel is near Seven Mile Beach, south of the Kimpton Seafire Resort + Spa. Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan, who spoke at the ribbon-cutting, said the Cayman Islands now boasts 8,022 rooms for rent.
Hotel Indigo has 282 rooms, several conference rooms, and six food-and-beverage locations.
“It is the first Hotel Indigo-branded property to be established anywhere within the Caribbean,” Bryan said.
The brand focuses on local art, cuisine and design elements in its hotels, and the Grand Cayman location is no different.
Speakers at the ribbon-cutting gave a special nod to the history of the Cayman Islands by replacing the typical ribbon with a woven thatch cord, which they cut before welcoming guests for tours of the new establishment.
The Central Planning Authority approved construction of the 10-storey hotel in March 2021. The Dart-owned Shoreline Development Company Ltd initially applied for the $80 million project the month before.
Also on the horizon are several other 10-storey buildings, including an office block in Camana Bay. Legoland Real Estate also recently sought planning permission for a 162-unit apartment block.
Last summer, the CPA granted permission for the owners of The Westin to build a 10-storey hotel block with 234 guest rooms, and the 10-storey ONE|GT tower on Goring Avenue is already close to completion.
View from above
The rooftop is home to Pom Pom, one of six dining options, which features South American-inspired dishes and cocktails.
The other restaurants comprise American-style marketplace Café Alula, Japanese-California sushi bar Milkberry, the international tasting menu-based Rasa restaurant, poolside Bata Bar, and the main Catalina Bar and Lounge.
Natasha Pereira, director of catering and events, said the restaurants are open to everyone, though amenities like the pool are only for hotel guests.
Decorating the walls of the restaurants, rooms and wider hotel are works by artists from the Cayman Islands and wider Caribbean, including Cera Tan Kenniard, Gina Powell, Elena McDonough, Natasha Cunningham, Cameron Bridgeman, Teneka Mohammed and Reno Jackson.
General manager Steven Andre believes the hotel will become a focus of the community.
“It is going to be the social epicentre of the island,” he said, adding the rooftop space “is one of a kind”.
Editor’s Note: The Cayman Compass is a subsidiary of Dart Media and Entertainment.
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