Operational Solutions Drive Development - Stanmar

Case Studies > Lovango Resort + Beach Club

Operational Solutions Drive Development

The Stanmar Difference

  • Designed and built first new resort in USVI in 30 years

  • Designed to be fully self-sustainable

  • Navigated complex permitting and approval process

  • Solar, generators, and reverse osmosis water plant

  • Met opening date after building Phase One in six months

  • Managed complicated logistics

  • Strategic plan includes multiple future phases

  • Employed local subcontractors to support community

Project Overview

Exceptional customer service at hotels is a major key to operational success. Within Stanmar’s two island resort properties—the Winnetu and Nantucket hotels—a seasonal operation compounded staffing challenges. Seeking a permanent, stable staffing solution, the company looked to develop a third resort in a location that could act as an opposite-season resort, enabling Stanmar to share staff between our properties during their respective off-seasons. Critical to this plan was staying within the US so that personnel had the right to work across all operations.

In 2019, Stanmar purchased 42 acres on the private island of Lovango Cay in St. John, USVI. Completely off the grid, any buyer had to be prepared to design and construct everything, from a water and electric source to buildings, without any infrastructure. Additionally, there had not been a new hotel in the USVI in over 30 years as developers avoided high wage rates. Rather than being intimidated by these factors, Stanmar was drawn to the opportunity because of them.

Stanmar’s team dove enthusiastically into the unique challenges of building on this island. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Stanmar successfully designed, built, and opened the first phase of the Lovango Resort + Beach Club in December 2020. The phased plan includes the construction of 50 overnight cottages and bungalows, 15 luxury tree houses and glamping tents, and 14 private villas for sale.

Stanmar is focused on working with and supporting the local community across a range of efforts—most importantly, hiring local USVI residents to work at all levels of our organization both in Lovango and at our Massachusetts properties. We have a responsibility we take seriously to maintain the true character of Lovango and the USVI by disrupting the natural ecosystem as little as possible.

Upon completing the first phase of the Lovango Resort + Beach Club, we renamed our hospitality collection Little Gem Resorts (LGR). Today the Snider family owns and runs two divisions: Stanmar Design & Construction and LGR. The experiences Stanmar has had developing and operating our own properties and designing and constructing for others come together to shape our perspective on every new project we address.

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This is a very positive sign to residents, as well as to developers and investors outside the territory, that the U.S. Virgin Islands is indeed open for business [...]. The Bryan/Roach Administration is looking forward to this new resort development and visitor destination—which is being built by the owners of the successful Nantucket Hotel—as the territory continues to rebuild and expand its tourism product.

Governor Bryan

USVI

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