BTA update shows strength but later Fairmont hotel opening
An update on the island’s tourism performance has shown increased visitor spending and expanding hotel capacity but has revealed that the Fairmont Southampton is not scheduled to open until 2027.
The Bermuda Tourism Authority’s chief executive, Jan Hutton, outlined the island’s tourism figures, including the busiest cruise month in more than a decade, at the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s State of the Tourism Industry Conference 2026.
Ms Hutton highlighted “stronger visitor results, renewed investment and changing traveller preferences that increasingly play to Bermuda’s strengths” while also sharing that the long-awaited opening of the iconic Southampton hotel would be delayed until next year.
Chris Maybury, of Fairmont Southampton owner Westend Properties Ltd, speaking at the Build Summit in May, said the main hotel “will be open a little later in the year, but it will definitely be open”.
Kiaran MacDonald, a regional vice-president with the hotel management company, said at the official opening of the site’s Palmetto Beach Club in August that people were “keen to know” when the resort will fully reopen.
He added then: “The honest answer is that everyone is working very hard to try and make that happen before the end of the year.”
Westend Properties confirmed tonight that the Fairmont Southampton is expected to reopen next year.
A spokesman said: “The extensive construction required as part of the property’s comprehensive renovation has required additional time and resources, including specialised skilled labour across various aspects of the project.”
A spokesman for Westend Properties, the owner of the Fairmont Southampton, said that dealing with “unforeseen issues” that arose during the renovations caused delays to some parts of the schedule.
He confirmed: “Fairmont Southampton will not reopen at the end of this year as previously anticipated and is now expected to reopen in 2027.
“The extensive construction required as part of the property’s comprehensive renovation has required additional time and resources, including specialised skilled labour across various aspects of the project.
“We remain fully committed to completing this significant investment and delivering a fully renovated Fairmont Southampton that restores the property to its place as a leading luxury hotel in Bermuda.
“The renewed resort will play an important role in defining the future of Bermuda as a premier tourism destination, and we look forward to welcoming guests back in 2027.
“A formal announcement will be made once the opening date is set.”
The spokesman noted that the renovation of a 50-year-old hotel — the island’s biggest — involved a complete renovation of 593 guest rooms, restaurants, public spaces, mechanical and engineering, and exterior of the hotel.
“As with any project of this size and scope, there have been unforeseen issues that have arisen during the course of the renovation, and these issues must be dealt with and have caused some delays to some parts of the project schedule,” he added.
“However, Fairmont Southampton’s highly anticipated return is well under way, with a full grand reopening now clearly on the horizon.
“Palmetto Beach Club opened in early August and is already welcoming guests, and the property team is embarking on a local recruitment campaign to make over 500 new hires who will comprise the talented team that will run the hotel once it reopens.”
The spokesman said: “This is a defining transformation for Bermuda, and we’re focused on delivering it to the standard the island deserves.
“Similarly, we are grateful for the enthusiasm of all, to see the doors officially open again.”
Ms Hutton said that there had been 98,043 cruise visitors to the island in August, the most seen in more than ten years.
She said leisure visitation increased by about 12 per cent from January through August, while air visitor spending reached $204.6 million in the first half of 2026, up 7.9 per cent year-over-year.
Hotels are also performing well, with revenue per available room up 7.3 per cent over 2025 and 30 per cent compared with 2023.
Ms Hutton also said that Bermuda is recording strong visitor satisfaction, with both air and cruise scores exceeding 90 out of 100 for the second consecutive year.
“Travel is changing quickly, and that creates a real opportunity for Bermuda,” she added.
“Travellers are increasingly looking for privacy, space, wellbeing, authenticity and a genuine connection to place. Those are strengths Bermuda already has.
“The opportunity now is to build on them — attracting visitors who value what makes our island distinctive, creating demand across more of the year and generating more value from every visit.”
She said there were “encouraging signs” that tourism demand is extending beyond the summer season, with August visitation up 36 per cent and preliminary figures for September indicating continued growth in air arrivals.
Ms Hutton added that significant investment is “reshaping Bermuda’s tourism product”.
Hotel room supply is projected to increase by more than a third by next summer, led by the $550 million redevelopment of the Fairmont Southampton, which has been shuttered since 2020.
Additional rooms at the Grotto Bay Beach Resort & Spa and Azura, along with improvements across existing properties, are also boosting the island’s offerings.
“Bermuda is building, and that creates an exciting opportunity,” said Ms Hutton. “But adding rooms is only part of the equation.
“We need to give people compelling reasons to visit throughout the year, make the most of the investment coming into our island and ensure that growth creates opportunities for Bermuda’s people and businesses.”
She said the island’s year-round calendar of sporting, cultural and culinary events is central to that ambition.
With events ranging from SailGP and the Butterfield Bermuda Championship to Cup Match, Art Month and Restaurant Weeks, Ms Hutton said that the island continues to incentivise visits throughout the year.
The BTA is also placing more focus on business events, wellness and sport, supported by smarter use of data and technology to reach the right audiences.
A new national tourism plan, Strategic Roadmap 2030, is being developed to guide the next phase of tourism.
The strategy will focus on “building a stronger, more competitive visitor economy that delivers lasting value for Bermuda’s people, businesses and communities”.
“Peak season is strong, and we have significant new capacity coming,” Ms Hutton said.
“The opportunity is what we do with it. This is the time to be deliberate about what comes next.
“The choices we make now will shape our visitor economy for years to come, and our national tourism plan gives us the opportunity to make those choices with the industry, with the evidence and with Bermuda’s own knowledge.”
Addressing tourism leaders from across the Caribbean, Ms Hutton also highlighted the importance of collaboration among small-island destinations facing shared challenges, including access, seasonality, talent and resilience.
She emphasised the value of exchanging knowledge and working together as the region adapts to a changing global tourism landscape.
• UPDATE: this article has been updated to include a comment from Westend Properties
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