Skyline Views

Dart Realty's Cayman Beachfront Kimpton Wows Visiting Journalists

SEVEN MILE BEACH, Grand Cayman (Nov. 26, 2014) - A select group of the U.S.' top real estate writers and editors got an exclusive shot last week to check on the progress of the resort hotel and residences Dart Realty (Cayman) Ltd. is developing on Seven Mile Beach.

Dart's DECCO has poured more than 80 million pounds of concrete and constructed several stories of the main structure that will rise 10 stories.

The hotel portion of the resort will be operated by Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. The hotel will be the first property in the Caribbean for Kimpton, well known in the States for its cool, hip properties that always include at least one destination restaurant.

A quick walk-around of the construction site and adjacent beachfront proved to be a highlight of the recent press trip hosted by Dart, a client of The Wilbert Group. Journalists from GlobeSt.com, Site Selection, France Publications, PERE and Candy's Dirt attended the trip.

In October, Cayman 27 interviewed Gary Gibbs, executive manager of DECCO Ltd., and aired a story that provides a good update on construction of the resort. Click here to view that report. 

Look for updates on the resort development soon. For now, I'll share several photos.

Atlanta, Southeast Commercial Real Estate Markets Ready to Roll

ATLANTA - Public relations is a leading indicator of the health of the commercial real estate industry. Developers and owners often slash PR and marketing budgets when they sense a slowdown. On the flipside, they start to ramp up spending when they foresee an upswing on the horizon.

So, based on the recent rise in inquiries we've received at The Wilbert Group and major announcements we've handled, Atlanta, the Southeast and beyond are poised for a grand real estate run.

The past three weeks have been monumentally unprecedented. Wilbert worked with North American Properties to promote and secured media coverage of the opening of NAP's landmark mixed-use project Avalon in Alpharetta. We also hosted an international client in Atlanta seeking to expand a major mixed-use project in the Caribbean. And just this week we helped Crown Holdings announce a $500 million mixed-use development it would like to develop in Roswell. Add to that a request for a proposal to rebrand and reposition one of the Southeast's top development firms, and it's been a hell of a 21-day stretch.

For Avalon's grand opening, Wilbert's Suong Nguyen secured coverage in or on every single major media outlet in the city, including the AJC, which used the term "milestone". Even the intown-focused Creative Loafing ran a column by Conor Sen that prompted an interesting blog war.

At the end of the 21-day stretch, Wilbert spread the word about a proposed ecologically driven mixed-use development proposed for the southeast quadrant of Ga. 400 and Holcolmb Bridge Road in Roswell. The AJC's headline on its front-page story said it all: "$500 Million Project Signals Metro Resurgence."

The Wilbert Group is here and ready to help real estate owners, developers, brokers and financiers join in the renaissance. 

Jamestown Closes Big Week with Move into Latin America

ATLANTA (March 15, 2013) - It's been a big week for Jamestown, an Atlanta-based investment and development firm.

First, jayrickey.com broke news Jamestown had agreed to sell the office tower at 999 Peachtree to Franklin Street Properties for $158 million. Then came word in The Wall Street Journal that Jamestown had expanded into Latin America, where it opened offices in Rio de Janeiro and Bogota, Colombia. And oh yeah, Jamestown's Ponce City Market project in Atlanta was spotlighted in a WSB-TV report.

In its latest major move, Jamestown hired Philip Fitzgerald, former managing director of emerging markets at Paladin Realty Partners, to spearhead its Latin American operations, WSJ's Craig Karmin reports.

Jamestown's Latin American operation is kicking off with $50 million, but the firm hopes to raise a fund of $200 million and manage $1.5 billion in Latin American assets within five years, the Joural reports.

No word on whether Jamestown will update its logo, which is a rough sketch of the United States.