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.