Hotel Business caught up with John Cohlan, CEO of Margaritaville, the business empire that all began with a 1977 song written by Jimmy Buffett. He offers his thoughts on the lifestyle hotel segment, where the company is going and pickleball.
—Gregg Wallis
How did you first get involved with Jimmy Buffett and Margaritaville?
Jimmy and I met socially more than 25 years ago and collaborated on our first hospitality projects soon afterward—opening a restaurant at Universal Studios in Orlando and then, years later, our first ground-up Margaritaville resort in Hollywood Beach, FL.
Margaritaville has been considered a pioneer in the lifestyle hotel segment. Why do you think that is?
It’s simple really. Margaritaville lodging locations transport people to a vacation state of mind and offer an escape for guests looking to drift away to paradise. Anyone who wants to have fun and leave their worries behind is a perfect person to experience Margaritaville. Our destinations are not just a place to stay; they generate an emotion and offer a unique way of living.
And it’s not just about our hotels, which is a key differentiator for us. What started with hotels and restaurants has now become RV resorts, a cruise line, lifestyle products from apparel to home decor, a SiriusXM radio station, branded real estate and active living communities. You can live our lifestyle in any phase of your life.
Unlike some other hotel franchisors, Margaritaville takes a much more hands-on approach to its properties. Why is that?
Our brand reputation and perception are extremely important to us. When we open a new property, launch a new product or expand upon the brand in any way, it’s crucial for us to ensure all aspects of the project align with our core values of fun and escapism.
Additionally, everyone on our executive team was once an operator so they understand the industry from the ground up. Many have been at Margaritaville for years, too, and they’re passionate and take pride in the brand.
All-inclusive resorts have grown in popularity recently. How has that segment performed for you?
We debuted our all-inclusive collection, Margaritaville Island Reserve, with Karisma a few years ago—the simplicity of the guest experience at all-inclusive resorts was appealing to us. All of our properties throughout the Caribbean and Mexico do really well as they offer something different for travelers from adults-only to families. Our all-inclusive resorts have the highest guest satisfaction rating in our entire portfolio.
Margaritaville Resort Times Square opened in 2021. What were your thoughts when the idea was first proposed for a resort in the middle of the city? How is the resort performing?
We’ve wanted to bring Margaritaville to New York City and Times Square for decades, but our thought was it would be one of our signature restaurants. Then this great opportunity came to be—a resort in the heart of Manhattan. We have hotels in major cities, like Nashville, but the urban resort concept was new to us and new to the city. We created a resort property that has all the amenities guests look for in a Margaritaville destination, but it’s vertical.
Due to the pandemic, the project took longer than expected, but we were excited to be a significant part of the New York City and Times Square reopening in 2021. We found that people were ready to travel to places and destinations safely with brands they trusted. The resort is doing incredibly well. The restaurants and bars have become hot spots for locals—and the summer is expected to be exceptionally busy as visitors travel to New York City.
A few years ago, your company launched Camp Margaritaville RV Resorts. Why did you think that would be a good extension for the brand?
The RV industry is booming. It’s a $38-billion industry and is expected to nearly double in value to $64 billion by 2024. The launch of Camp Margaritaville RV Resorts felt like a natural extension of our continued lodging growth because, just like Margaritaville as a brand, camping is about the journey and the destination. Following the success of our locations in Pigeon Forge, TN, and Lake Lanier, GA, we decided to bring these experiences to even more travelers with recent openings in Auburndale, FL; Crystal Beach, TX; and Breaux Bridge, LA, with more on the horizon.
Staying on top of the latest trends is extremely important for a lifestyle brand. One of the hottest trends right now is pickleball. How are you bringing that to your properties?
Pickleball has grown exponentially over the past few years and is great for all ages. Just like Margaritaville, pickleball is about fun and community—and it’s an ideal audience for us as a brand. It’s become a major part of our DNA.
We’ve been a driving force behind the growth of the sport in the hospitality space for more than five years. In December 2022, we announced the title sponsorship of Major League Pickleball, the professional pickleball league, branding the league as “MLP by Margaritaville.” It marked a seminal moment as one of the largest commercial deals ever for MLP.
By taking our event activations a step further and introducing pickleball courts at our resort and hotel destinations globally, we are standing out over the competition, offering an activity/amenity for all ages and abilities.
