KeysNews.com reports that the Westin Resort and Marina in Key West will be rebranded as the Margaritaville Key West Resort and Marina.

The resort’s website is already live at www.margaritavillekeywestresort.com and is accepting booking reservations now.

Ideally located right on the waterfront of Old Town Key West, just steps from the famous Mallory Square, and one block from Duval Street is the Margaritaville Key West Resort & Marina – a hub of relaxation and luxury in the middle of all of the excitement that Key West is famous for.

Experience the beauty of the sparkling sea, access to water sports, and endless dining, shopping, and entertainment options all just steps away. Our marina is one of the three cruise ports in Key West welcoming cruise ships from around the world. Cruise ships are typically docked from 7am to sunset with the rare ship visit later or overnight.

Dine on fresh island cuisine, indoors, on a deck, or oceanside. Sip a cocktail and lounge by our outdoor pool surrounded by lush native plants, or take a launch to the nearby private beach on Sunset Key. Rejuvenation awaits in the serenity of our massage studio.

(hat tip Doug)

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Casino and restaurant opened its doors on Thursday in Tulsa, and officials said that Jimmy will play at the new theater in late January:

Jimmy Buffett is tentatively set to play the new showroom at Margaritaville on Jan. 28, Creek Nation officials announced Thursday during the grand opening for the casino.

The resort will feature a 2,500-seat concert venue.

The new 50,000-square-foot Margaritaville casino is the first part of the resort to open. A 483-room hotel hotel will open inl December; the theater and the outdoor area next to the river will be ready in 2017.

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Casino at River Spirit in Tulsa, Oklahoma held a topping off ceremony last Friday as the final floor of the tower was put in place.

In a topping-off ceremony, a native tree is often chosen by builders of tall buildings to be placed at the top of a building in a show of respect for the land. In this case, nothing could have been more appropriate than a palm tree riding a steal beam to the 27th and final floor marking the completion of the frame of the new addition to the complex.

The expansion and new home of Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville casino and restaurant is by far the nation’s biggest developmental undertaking in the area, and with the addition of 1.2 million square feet to the tune of $365 million and 483 hotel rooms, it tops every other facility in the area. One-thousand more full-time jobs will also be added. Margaritaville’s CEO John Cohlan said the local development was one of the better-executed Margaritaville projects seen by the company, and the opening might even drew Jimmy Buffet. Officials also announced that by Labor Day weekend everything except the hotel tower will be completed, according to Tulsa World.

A two-level Margaritaville restaurant, bar with two outdoor decks that overlook the Arkansas River, retail outlet with a stage for live music, a seaplane and an erupting volcano that spews lava into a giant blender, will be the centerpiece of the casino-level addition. A tropical-themed pool deck will adorn the riverfront complete with cabanas, fire pits, palm trees and multiple bars, one with swim-up seating. Other food venues include a Margaritaville Coffee Shop and still in discussions, a Mickey Mantle’s Steakhouse. Fifty-thousand square feet of gaming space will also be included in the casino-level addition, which will be space for 27 table games, 850 gaming machines, and entertainment venue capable of accommodating more than 2,500 seated guests, and 30,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

Read more here.

Jimmy Buffett was in South Florida on Saturday afternoon to perform for the official grand opening of the Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort.

photo by Shannon Kaestle for Miami Herald

As the sun dropped and the rain drifted out to sea, thousands of people massed along the Broadwalk in front of Margaritaville for the official grand opening of the Buffett-themed resort that now stands as the beach’s new centerpiece. The $150 million attraction offers more than just 349 rooms, eight bars and a spa — it’s also a beacon of hope that this snowbird paradise will at last become a first-class tourist destination.

“Let’s put the top down on this place!” Buffett shouted to kick off the one and a half-hour free concert.

The high-tech, slickly produced Live Nation Jimmy Buffett concert production — bigger and louder than anything Hollywood beach has ever seen before — was greeted by veteran Parrotheads and Hollywood locals but did not come without controversy; residents took to social media in the days before to decry what some criticized as a VIP-only exclusive event.

But most of the stage was visible, and by the time Buffett took the stage at 4:30 p.m. it was already 5 o’clock somewhere. The complaints had, for the most part, been drowned down with a few beers, some shots of tequila and Buffett magic.

Read more here.

View the set list from the show

Another Margaritaville resort is being developed, this time in the Cayman Islands:

The Treasure Island hotel in the heart of Grand Cayman’s tourist district is to become a full-scale Margaritaville Resort, new owners have said. Howard Hospitality Group (HHG) has bought the site, which was on sale for just over $15 million, and said it is already planning a major redesign and renovation of the building to convert it into a branded beach resort. The owners said it would open in December 2016, complete with and a two-story Margaritaville pool slide, multiple bars and restaurants and 280 rooms.

The hotel, which is home to a number of long-term tenants, will remain open during renovations under HHG’s management, the firm said in a release.

“The Margaritaville Beach Resort on Seven Mile Beach will provide a new and exciting hotel experience for Grand Cayman,” said Howard Sitzer, Chairman and CEO of HHG. “Authentically Caribbean, this luxury resort will embrace local tastes, sights and sounds and provide quality and vibrant entertainment for visitors and guests.”

This is not the first Margaretville in Cayman. George Town already has a branded bar and restaurant, inspired by the lyrics and lifestyle of singer, songwriter and author, Jimmy Buffett, but the new resort will be on a much bigger scale and will cater to overnight guests as well as cruise ship passengers, which are the downtown bar’s main customers.

Renovations are expected to begin early in the New Year the new owners stated and once open, the operational management will be led by Trust Hospitality of Miami.

Read more