It’s not uncommon to see hotels rebrand, either to be more or less premium. However, I’ve never seen a rebranding quite like this…
In this post:
St. Regis becomes JW Marriott, then St. Regis again
On May 6, 2025, we’re seeing the opening of the St. Regis Le Morne Resort in Mauritius. In reality, this is simply a rebranding of the existing JW Marriott Mauritius Resort. What’s so funny here is that the JW Marriott Mauritius only opened in August 2021, as a rebranding of the previous St. Regis Mauritius.
I can’t think of another property that rebranded, only to then transition back to the original brand. That’s pretty interesting.
When the property rebranded the first time around (from St. Regis to JW Marriott) my assumption was that brand standards required some sort of property updates, and the owners didn’t want to pay. After all, why would any hotel owner otherwise want to downgrade to a less premium brand, and presumably only be able to charge lower rates? Right or wrong, branding matters…
So, what’s actually changing about this resort?
With the property now being “upgraded” from a JW Marriott to a St. Regis (after previously being “downgraded”), what should we actually expect to change? Here’s how the hotel officially describes the rebranding, in a statement:
“Transitioning to the St. Regis brand reflects our commitment to providing an elevated luxury resort option for visitors to the island. It allows us to expand our offerings and build the resort’s reputation among international luxury travellers.”
“The evolution of The St. Regis Le Morne Resort, Mauritius reflects the brand’s dedication to elevating the world’s most exclusive destinations, and our commitment to the growth of the St. Regis resort portfolio. Joining St. Regis Hotels & Resorts will allow guests to embrace the resort’s timeless glamour through the St. Regis hallmarks of personalised service and signature rituals. We look forward to ushering in this new chapter.”
Interestingly, it doesn’t sound like the hotel has undergone a major refresh, or anything. Instead, there’s just mention of “thoughtful enhancements,” including “elevating the dining experience at the signature Le Manoir restaurant.” Later this year, the resort’s oceanfront villa will also be reimagined as the St. Regis Grand Beachfront Villa.
We’ll also see the return of signature St. Regis service elements, ranging from the nightly champagne sabering (at 7PM), to the signature butler service, to the introduction of a local Bloody Mary cocktail.
All of this is a mystery to me — what caused the rebranding in the first place, and what caused it to then return to St. Regis? I haven’t heard great things about the state of this property in recent years, so one wonders…
Bottom line
In 2021, the St. Regis Mauritius was rebranded as the JW Marriott Mauritius. Now in 2025, the hotel is once again rebranding as a St. Regis. It’s odd, because as far as I can tell, no significant updates have been made to the property. That sure makes you wonder why the resort was rebranded in the first place, and why it’s now being rebranded yet again.
What do you make of this St. Regis Mauritius rebranding?
"All of this is a mystery to me — what caused the rebranding in the first place, and what caused it to then return to St. Regis?"
Do you ever reach out to the hotel for comment?
There was a big oil spill (from a Japanese-owned oil tanker) there in 2020, which had a major impact on tourism (damaged the ecosystem for years, clean-up long since abandoned, a slow recovery is ongoing). The related drop in tourism probably has thrown plenty of places in tourism-dependent Mauritius into uncertainty and chaos. I had been planning a trip there to go SCUBA diving but cancelled when the spill occurred.
From wikipedia: "Reuters quoted unnamed...
There was a big oil spill (from a Japanese-owned oil tanker) there in 2020, which had a major impact on tourism (damaged the ecosystem for years, clean-up long since abandoned, a slow recovery is ongoing). The related drop in tourism probably has thrown plenty of places in tourism-dependent Mauritius into uncertainty and chaos. I had been planning a trip there to go SCUBA diving but cancelled when the spill occurred.
From wikipedia: "Reuters quoted unnamed scientists as saying that the spill was likely the worst environmental incident in the history of Mauritius, with effects possibly lingering for decades."
Ship's captain was drunk, and lookout/navigator-on-duty was AWOL, too busy trying to find a shore-based wifi signal they could poach to surf the internet. Got too close to shore, hit reef, oops.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Wakashio_oil_spill
By comparison, hotel "branding" is probably no more than a rounding error. Bigger fish to fry (in crude oil scooped up from the beaches).
I stayed there in 2022. Pleasant hotel but no wow factor. I like the LXR next door much more.
Brand name is something leased by a property owner and is meaningless. Brand standards are often not enforced. One must assess each property on its own and rely on reviews from *trusted* sources.
I stayed there in 2022 for three weeks. During that time they were undergoing significant refreshes to the rooms and spaces in a gradual phase. Most likely much of that is now complete.
It's a pleasant enough hotel. Nothing overwhelming though. For me it was the attraction of being able to kitesurf right outside my room which led me there. For that it is ideal and a world class spot. However, for those looking...
I stayed there in 2022 for three weeks. During that time they were undergoing significant refreshes to the rooms and spaces in a gradual phase. Most likely much of that is now complete.
It's a pleasant enough hotel. Nothing overwhelming though. For me it was the attraction of being able to kitesurf right outside my room which led me there. For that it is ideal and a world class spot. However, for those looking for more traditional and idyllic beach settings, The Maldives or Sri Lanka are far superior.
@benschlappig My guess would be that it’s a franchisee/or dispute that ended up with the deflagging and downgrade. When travel was down the franchisee probably didn’t have the cash to fight it, but as it has picked back up they probably restarted the fight and won, or had enough ammo to get Marriott to back down.
I stayed here last year (2024). We knew it was a deflagged St Regis, so we were a little bit nervous about what that would mean - but to our pleasant surprise, it was delightful. Very well appointed, friendly service, impeccable grounds. It was easily the nicest JW Marriott we'd ever stayed at, so I'm not surprised to see it revert back.
Was there in 2019 and had a massive upgrade. I thought the resort was quite nice. Bring water shoes as the water is a little rocky. But glad to see it as a Saint Regis again.
Spent part of my 2017 honeymoon here as a St Regis... glad to see the StR brand back here although I have no plans to go back anytime in the forseable future.
When I stayed there in 2019 the hotel had recently suffered several management resignations but they had brought a team from the gulf to restore standards. I found it excellent, great service and St Regis touches but I had proactively reached out to understand why recent reviews were bad so possibly my experience was more curated.
It’s an incredible location and deserves to be a St Regis. I hope the service standards are up to scratch.