The The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, to open December 15, 2005

The new The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman is supposed to open on December 15, 2005 after a delay due to Hurricane Ivan. The $400 million project is the group’s most extensive mixed-use development, featuring a 365-room resort and 69 oceanfront homes, named The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman. Highlights at the resort include two restaurants from Eric Ripert, chef/co-owner of famed Le Bernardin in New York City, a 6,000-square-foot luxury retail emporium, a Greg Norman-designed nine hole golf course and a Jean-Michel Cousteau children’s program.

The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman will also house one of the largest full-service spas in the Caribbean. La Prairie, the leader in Swiss skincare and European spa treatments, has handpicked The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman as the home of the international launch of the world’s first spa inspired by Silver Rain. The 20,000 square foot, 17 room spa was conceived in tandem with La Prairie’s Silver Rain, the company’s ultra-premium fragrance housed in a brilliant asymmetrical rain drop.

This eagerly anticipated new spa concept will perfectly fuse the science of skincare with a sensory enlivening experience that has distinctly Caribbean undertones. Heightening the luxury quotient will be treatments incorporating the full range of La Prairie products including the Skin Caviar Collection.

The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman will be the first and only resort in the Caribbean to feature an elegant new spa concept from La Prairie, the exclusive Swiss-based skincare and beauty company. Resort officials and Lynne Florio, La Prairie's president, have announced an agreement that will premiere a full-service luxury spa certain to redefine health and beauty care in a resort setting.

The partnership between two powerful lifestyle brands at the very top of their fields demonstrates the importance of the $400 million Grand Cayman project, which, with a 365-room resort and The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, 69 oceanfront homes, represents the lodging company's most extensive mixed-use development. "The opening of The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, bringing with it the company's stellar reputation as the most highly rated hospitality company in the world, will help to redefine the Cayman Islands as a vacation destination. We felt strongly that it was essential, in addition to all the exceptional services and facilities of the resort, to offer our guests and homeowners the very best spa experience possible. It is tremendously exciting to work with La Prairie, a company that has ably demonstrated its innovative philosophy and absolute dedication to quality," said Jean Cohen, the hotel's vice president and general manager.

Commenting on the agreement, Florio said: "The Ritz-Carlton and La Prairie, both known for unparalleled commitment to excellence and luxury, make an ideal partnership. At The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman we look forward to the opportunity to expand our vision in creating a spa that reflects our leadership in the science of skincare and is in complete harmony with the resort's elegance and its surrounding natural beauty while at the same time representing a bold new outlook and experience.

The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman is La Prairie's second venture with the hotel company and only its second location in the Americas. In 2002 it opened a spa at The Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park, its first in the United States. La Prairie, which has earned worldwide acclaim for being at the forefront of developing luxury skincare and anti-aging products, also operates Art of Beauty spas in prestigious five-star hotels and resorts, beauty salons and perfumeries on five continents.

The La Prairie Spa at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman will feature 17 treatment rooms and a comprehensive menu of beauty, pampering and relaxing treatments. Guests will enjoy a luxurious, restorative oasis designed to de-stress, rejuvenate, and cosset themselves with age-defying science and skin care expertise. With 20,000 square feet of space it will be one of the largest full-service spas in the Caribbean.