Club Med has moved its long-planned return to US soil from paper to dirt, breaking ground on Club Med St Croix at the former Carambola Beach Resort with a targeted late 2027 guest opening for a 150-key all-inclusive Exclusive Collection property.
Hotel Online reported a July 20, 2026, groundbreaking ceremony hosted by Club Med North America leadership with VICI Properties and US Virgin Islands officials.
That ceremony follows a June 15 Club Med and VICI joint announcement that set the redevelopment path and a fourth quarter 2027 reopening target.
If you are planning a 2027 or 2028 Caribbean all-inclusive trip and want a US territory option with Club Med’s sports and kids programming, the traveler job is to watch for booking windows, compare St Croix against Club Med’s existing Caribbean islands, and keep fall 2027 as a planning horizon rather than a confirmed first-night date.
- Project: Club Med St Croix at former Carambola Beach Resort.
- Scale: About 150 keys, all-suite Exclusive Collection product.
- Partners: VICI owns the real estate; Club Med operates under a long-term lease.
- Timing: Ground broken July 2026; guest target fourth quarter 2027.
- Jobs: About 200 direct roles projected, with strong local hiring aims.
What broke ground on St Croix
Club Med St Croix is not a brand-new greenfield tower on empty land. It is a full redevelopment of Carambola Beach Resort, the Laurance Rockefeller era beachfront property that closed before the Club Med chapter.
The June 15 operator and landlord announcement said VICI acquired the asset, funded redevelopment, and signed a long-term triple-net lease while Club Med will run operations. The July 20 ceremony is the construction milestone that turns that lease structure into active site work.
Hotel Online’s groundbreaking report frames the project as Club Med’s first US resort and only the second in North America, with an all-suite, low-density design aimed at modern travelers and a late 2027 opening.
Deep Arrival treats “first US” as brand language for this Club Med St Croix product stream and still verifies room count, partners, and dates against the joint release.
The product sits in Club Med’s Exclusive Collection tier. That means travelers should expect the brand’s premium all-inclusive stack rather than an entry-level village model, including elevated design language and a tighter service promise once rates publish.
Who this helps and who should wait
US and Canadian families who already buy Club Med for kids clubs and sports may finally get a US territory option without clearing a foreign immigration process beyond standard USVI entry rules for their passport type.
That is a real planning simplification for some households, even while room rates remain unpublished.
Travelers who need confirmed 2027 spring break inventory should not invent a booking button that does not exist yet. Construction just started, and Club Med has not published a public rate calendar for first-season dates in the materials reviewed here.
Guests who preferred the old Carambola product for quiet beach time should read Exclusive Collection language carefully. All-inclusive sports and kids energy can change the social texture of a property even when the beach crescent remains.
For island context beyond the resort fence, Deep Arrival’s Christiansted National Historic Site guide and Buck Island Reef National Monument page help map day trips that will still matter after Club Med opens.
Cruise guests who already know the USVI from St Thomas can use the St Thomas cruise port map only as regional orientation. Club Med St Croix is a multi-night land stay decision, not a same-day cruise call.
Timing, jobs, and what remains open
The joint June release set construction for summer 2026 and a targeted reopening in the fourth quarter of 2027. The July groundbreaking matches that construction start window rather than moving the guest date earlier.
Economic framing in both the release and the groundbreaking coverage points to roughly 200 direct jobs, with local officials stressing St Croix tourism recovery and training.
Travelers should treat job counts as project goals, not as a room-rate forecast.
Sustainability targets mentioned in the operator release include BREEAM and Green Globe certification aims under Club Med’s Happy to Care program. Those are design and operations goals, not proof that every first-season practice will already hold a plaque on opening day.
Unknowns that still matter for trip planners include published opening week, first bookable season, kids club ages, and water sports inventory.
Transfer logistics from Henry E Rohlsen Airport and any soft-opening inventory will also shape first-season planning once Club Med posts them.
Until Club Med posts rates, treat competitor USVI and eastern Caribbean all-inclusives as the live comparison set, not an invisible Club Med calendar.
How to plan around a 2027 horizon
Put Q4 2027 on a watch list if St Croix is already on your shortlist for a US Caribbean trip. Do not cancel a firm 2026 booking on the hope that Club Med will open early.
Watch Club Med’s US site and preferred travel advisors for a first-season on-sale rather than relying on social groundbreaking photos. Groundbreaking is not inventory.
If you need a 2026 or early 2027 Caribbean Club Med week, book an existing Club Med Caribbean or nearby Exclusive Collection resort and keep St Croix as a later upgrade once dates exist.
Pair any future stay with island logistics now: flight options into STX, ferry links, and national park day trips at Salt River Bay and Buck Island that will not depend on the resort’s internal schedule.
Deep Arrival’s best islands in the Caribbean guide can help place St Croix against other islands while this project is still a construction story.
| If you | What to do |
|---|---|
| Want a 2027 or 2028 Club Med US territory stay | Track Club Med St Croix for a Q4 2027 target and wait for published rates before changing other plans. |
| Need a confirmed Caribbean week in 2026 | Book an existing Club Med or other live all-inclusive. Do not wait on construction photos. |
| Care mainly about quiet beach time | Read Exclusive Collection and kids programming details when they post; energy levels may differ from old Carambola. |
| Are comparing USVI islands only | Use St Croix national sites and airport access as the decision frame while the resort is still closed. |
| Book through a travel advisor | Ask for first-season release alerts rather than depositing on unofficial timelines. |
- First on-sale date: No public rate calendar is live in the materials reviewed here.
- Exact opening week: Q4 2027 is a target window, not a single confirmed day.
- Transfer and flight packages: STX access details will shape total trip cost more than the groundbreaking speech.
- Kids club and sports list: Family fit depends on posted age bands and water activities.
- Certification status: BREEAM and Green Globe aims are goals until awards post.
The useful comparison is not whether Club Med can host a groundbreaking ceremony. It is whether a late 2027 Exclusive Collection St Croix resort will beat the all-inclusives you can already book, once prices and opening week are real.
When will Club Med St Croix open?
Club Med and VICI target a fourth quarter 2027 reopening after a July 2026 groundbreaking at the former Carambola Beach Resort site. Treat that as a planning window until an official opening week posts.
How many rooms will the resort have?
The joint announcement describes a historic 150-key resort operated by Club Med under a long-term lease with VICI as the real estate owner funding redevelopment.
Is this Club Med’s return to the United States?
Club Med and VICI describe Club Med St Croix as a reentry onto US soil in the US Virgin Islands. Travelers should still verify how the brand positions any other North America properties when comparing options.
Can I book rooms now?
Public first-season rates were not available in the materials reviewed for this report. Wait for Club Med’s official on-sale rather than treating groundbreaking coverage as a reservation path.
What happens to the old Carambola Beach Resort experience?
The site is being redeveloped to Exclusive Collection standards. Guests who remember the prior hotel should expect a full rebuild of product and operations, not a light brand sticker on the same stay.
