Author: Harvey Chipkin
Site: https://www.costar.com
Caribbean island will be home to 85-acre ‘wellness campus’
St. Lucia, a Caribbean island known for its extraordinary scenery, is no stranger to tourism development.
But a project costing more than a billion dollars is a significant investment for the destination. A’ila Resorts is planning a $1 billion, 100,000-square-foot “wellness campus” atop the island’s Mount Pimard that overlooks Rodney Bay.
Designed as the Caribbean’s first “longevity village,” the project will eventually comprise three resorts on 85 acres, 240 longevity residences, 20 restaurants, extensive retail, a medical and commercial district and one of the largest conference centers in the eastern Caribbean.
The three resorts are:
- TheLifeCo St. Lucia — the flagship “wellness anchor” of the broader development. It opened in May with 100 rooms as a “physician-led” longevity resort “integrating physical vitality, mental clarity and spiritual renewal.” Turkey-based TheLifeCo was founded in 2007 and has properties in Turkey, Egypt and Thailand.
- A’ila Palm — a family-friendly resort “with curated experiences for every generation” scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2027.
- A’ila Cove — an adults-only retreat promising “refined luxury and complete privacy” planned to open in late 2027.
The name A’ila, according to the company, is inspired by Isla — pronounced “EYE-la” — a name rooted in Celtic and Scottish heritage, tied to Islay, a Scottish island. In Gaelic, it carries the sense of a “swelling island,” evoking beautiful scenery and a strong sense of place and natural elegance.
Jason Ford, vice president of Atlas Group, the developer, said the company decided in 2020 to expand into the Caribbean after spending considerable time researching a number of islands and meeting with their governments.
“We came to St. Lucia because of its beauty and a natural site that no competitor can replicate,” he said. “We knew when we stood on the hilltop for the first time that this would be the ideal location.”
Other positives for St. Lucia included substantial and growing airline capacity, hotel demand outpacing supply, and government support of a project on this scale, Ford said.
Offering three brands “means we don’t bet everything on one segment. It captures multiple demand sources simultaneously,” he said.
The property will also have private villas that cost somewhere in the range of $3 million to $15 million, a conference center, and arts and entertainment. An entertainment venue will be able to handle outdoor concerts for up to 5,000 people.
In addition, the project will include a marina, waterfront dining and hundreds of square feet of “eco-conscious” retail, Ford said. The resorts are not built on top of each other, providing a sense of spaciousness. Also, because of the mountain’s terrain, it’s almost impossible to block the view of “beautiful Rodney Bay,” he added.
Programs at TheLifeCo range from four- to five-day stays for assessment and detox initiation to seven- to 10-day programs for metabolic recalibration to 21-day retreats for deep recovery. With its St. Lucia property, TheLifeCo has introduced for the first time “Longevity Holidays,” which Ford said are itineraries designed for more flexible leisure-oriented stays.
This marks a first for the brand, which are designed to appeal to younger, wellness-curious travelers who want “access without obligation,” Ford added.
TheLifeCo St. Lucia includes new therapies not found anywhere else in the company’s global portfolio, including non-pharmaceutical therapies that support natural healing, as well as advanced therapies to boost cellular performance and healing.
Tolga Atalay, chief wellness and partnerships officer at A’ila Resorts, said TheLifeCo was founded 20 years ago and St. Lucia is its “most comprehensive center.” He calls the resort “wellness real estate,” explaining “people want to stay in places where they are taken care of and where there are enough resources to enable them to do so.”
While programs at TheLifeCo in St. Lucia usually have a maximum of 21 days, there are also opportunities to treat chronic cases over longer periods, Atalay said. The wellness center offers 25 therapy rooms with specific programs focusing on men’s and women’s health. The resort works with a traditional medical center, serving as its preventive health partner.
In the past, TheLifeCo has offered a pain-based clinic where guests might go to treat physical or mental health issues, Atalay said.
In St. Lucia, “we have a different game with people going for holidays and getting a taste of the experience with a la carte therapy programs,” he said.
Visitors can touch base with a medical team to create sophisticated or less intense plans….
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Post: https://www.costar.com/article/14933871/what-a-1-billion-three-resort-development-means-for-st-lucia
