Royal Caribbean bets $3B on Sandals to move onto land
What's the deal? Royal Caribbean GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has agreed to invest roughly $3 billion for a 50% equity stake in Sandals and Beaches Resorts, valuing the Caribbean resort chain at $6 billion. The two will form a joint venture pairing Sandals' all-inclusive resorts with Royal Caribbean's cruise brands and private destinations.
What's the endgame? The move pushes Royal Caribbean beyond cruises into land-based vacations. Together, they aim to accelerate resort growth and reach further into what the companies call the $2 trillion global vacation market.
What changes? Not much, for now. Both companies will keep their existing operations and loyalty programs. The transaction is expected to close in early 2027.
Why now? Royal Caribbean says the deal will be accretive to its earnings next year. Its shares traded at $237.60 on September 23, up 1.15%, with a market cap of $66.93 billion and a 2.4% dividend yield.
The signal: Cruise operators are increasingly buying and building on land — from private islands to full resorts — to capture more of a traveller's spending and smooth out the volatility of the cruise business. Royal Caribbean's Sandals bet is one of the largest such moves yet.
Read more: pluang.com
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