City manager Thomas J. Fromme said a hotel was always planned for the area, and the Margaritaville resort will be “one of the final pieces of the Newport on the Levee puzzle.”
“I really think this is gonna be a showpiece for the levee and for the city and for all of us,” Fromme said during the meeting.
The hotel is planned for an empty lot near the aquarium and old IMAX theater. Developers noted that the Tri-State is a “very strong Parrot Head region,” saying the hotel is “designed to be a destination,” not a rest stop for passersby.
There will be 264 rooms and multiple restaurants and bars — including a rooftop “5 O’Clock Somewhere” bar and JWB Grill. A 2,000-square-foot event center will also be located at the hotel, as well as a pool.
Developers said the hotel will bring roughly 200 jobs to the city. Construction will begin in about one year with a goal of opening in February 2026.
There is still some financing that still needs to be approved — including a 3% surcharge on all transactions in the hotel to help cover the cost of the project.
At this time, the nearest Margaritaville resort is in Tennessee.
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