Barbados Hyatt Ziva: The Island’s Largest Private Investment Finally Heads Skyward

Kingston, Jamaica — 25 September 2025

Construction of the Hyatt Ziva hotel at Carlisle Bay in Barbados is advancing toward the vertical build phase after more than nine years of planning, delays, and site preparation, with the project’s developer confirming that foundation works are on track to commence imminently. The development, located on nearly five acres of prime Carlisle Bay beachfront adjacent to Bridgetown, is described as the largest single investment by a private developer in Barbados’s history.

A Long Road to Construction

The project was first announced in 2016 as a 237-room Hyatt Centric boutique hotel, before being rebranded as a Hyatt Ziva, the group’s family-friendly all-inclusive concept. It was subsequently caught by a combination of regulatory processes, land acquisition challenges, and the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. The developer, Mark Maloney, executive chairman of The Maloney Group, confirmed in September 2025 that all substructure groundworks had been completed and that foundation works were expected to begin within two months, followed by the vertical construction phase.

Speaking at the TVET Council’s 4th Annual Construction and Design Conference at Sandals Royal, Maloney said: “This is the largest single project undertaken by a private investor in Barbados. It has taken us quite a while to get here, but we are ticking the last set of boxes and should be moving ahead on the vertical build very soon.”

Scale, Jobs and Economic Impact

At an estimated project cost of approximately 175 million US dollars, the Hyatt Ziva Barbados will comprise three buildings of between 10 and 18 storeys, delivering 380 hotel suites and 40 condominium units. The hotel will be an all-inclusive property open to both guests and Barbadian residents. During the construction phase, the project is expected to generate approximately 2,000 jobs. Once operational, it will create an additional 1,200 permanent positions, a significant contribution to Barbados’s hospitality employment base.

The developer emphasised that his company was channelling its earnings back into Barbados, describing local reinvestment as the foundation of the confidence needed to attract international capital. The hotel will add 380 new rooms to Carlisle Bay, directly complementing the adjacent Pierhead mixed-use waterfront regeneration project and the broader government strategy to revitalise Bridgetown as a commercial, cultural, and hospitality destination.

Bridgetown’s Investment Wave

The Hyatt Ziva is the latest in a cluster of major developments converging on the Bridgetown waterfront. The Pierhead mixed-use district launched Phase One in July 2025. The Royalton resort is also under construction. Together with condominium projects in the immediate area, these developments represent an unprecedented concentration of hospitality and residential investment in Barbados’s capital within a short period.

The Carlisle Bay precinct is now positioned as the centrepiece of a broader tourism and urban development strategy that combines luxury hospitality, branded residences, heritage preservation, and improved public access to one of the island’s finest beaches. For Barbados, the realisation of the Hyatt Ziva after nearly a decade of delays represents more than a hotel opening. It is a signal to regional and international investors that the island’s development ambitions can be delivered.

Source: Barbados Today, 25 September 2025