Although Karisma Hotels & Resorts and Margaritaville Holdings first announced their historic partnership back in 2017 when they proposed the Margaritaville, an All-Inclusive Experience, by Karisma brand, representatives of the two companies told TravelPulse on Friday that some major tweaks were made to those plans, starting with the brand's name.

Later today, both companies are expected to officially announce the launch of Margaritaville Island Reserve by Karisma, something Kelly Poling, the new CEO of Premier Worldwide Marketing, which representatives Karisma Hotels & Resorts, is describing as an "entirely new brand."

The first Margaritaville Island Reserve by Karisma is expected to open just outside of Cancun this winter.

Although we could not confirm with a Karisma spokesperson the exact location of the new Margaritaville Island Reserve Riviera Cancun by Karisma hotel other than that is located in the "Cancun area," we should note that most hotels with "Riviera Cancun" in its name are located in Puerto Morelos.

"We have previously announced a partnership and that's not new news," said Poling, "but we have established an entirely new brand. So, we are treating this as an entirely new brand launch."

Poling said both companies felt the original brand name announced back in 2017 was too generic and didn't fully convey the high level of luxury and exclusiveness the partnership plans to offer travelers. Poling said having "Island Reserve" in the brand's name better enforces the notion of five-star luxury.

"It wasn't just changing the name," Tamara Baldanza-Dekker, chief marketing officer for Margaritaville, told TravelPulse. "We also spent the last couple of years defining the product and what 'Island Reserve' meant. And we had to do outreach, so we spoke to guests on both the Margaritaville side and Karisma side to see what that name clearly defines."

Aside from the name-change, another major upgrade from this launch, compared to the one made two years ago, is a far clearer vision of the brand's future, as far as destination and construction plans go.

Along with the "Cancun area," initial roll-out plans for the brand include such destinations as the Dominican Republic, the Riviera Maya, which will be home to two Margaritaville Island Reserve by Karisma hotels, and Jamaica.

Poling said the collection of resorts will be a mix of converted and new-build hotels. The Cancun hotel will be a conversion and the Dominican Republic hotel will be a new-build property located in the Cap Cana resort area. Poling also noted that there will be "new construction" in the Riviera Maya, but couldn't confirm if both hotels will be new-builds.

She did tell TravelPulse that more details on the conversion and new-build plans will be announced in the next couple of weeks. No details on the Jamaica property will be released, however, as those plans are still being finalized, said Poling.

Poling said although the brand's hotels were designed with the millennial market in mind, Jimmy Buffett, the musician who made the "Margaritaville" song and brand famous worldwide, has fans, aka "Parrot Heads," that span generations.

"Margaritaville has struck a great balance with our brand," said Poling. "It is inspired by the lifestyle of Jimmy Buffet. The hotels will have an amazing, laid-back, island attitude. These hotels are going to be an absolute dream for fans of Jimmy Buffet, but also anyone who is drawn to that lifestyle."

Margaritaville Island Reserve by Karisma will represent Margaritaville's entrance into the all-inclusive market. And Baldanze-Dekker is happy to have Karisma, a highly-reputable name in the all-inclusive market, to help with the leap.

"That's why we chose Karisma, why we chose each other," said Baldanza-Dekker. "We wanted to be in the all-inclusive space for a while and Karisma was the one we wanted to do it with. They are just fun to work with and know how to deliver on an all-inclusive experience."

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