NEWPORT, Ky. — Calling all Parrot Heads! The Tri-State is getting its own little slice of paradise — and it won't take you three days on a train to get there.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear spoke Wednesday about plans for a new $133.6 million Margaritaville Hotel Resort coming to Newport on the Levee.
City officials first authorized a development agreement for the project in April, calling it a "showpiece for the levee and for the city." The hotel is planned for an empty lot near the aquarium and old IMAX theater.
Beshear said the project will create 282 jobs — 187 full-time and 95 part-time.
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"We just celebrated our best year on record for Kentucky tourism in 2022, and with exciting projects like Margaritaville being announced, we know this success will only continue," Beshear said. "This resort will help drive visitors to the Campbell County area, boosting the local economy and creating 282 new jobs for Kentuckians. We are grateful to these leaders for choosing Kentucky and our workforce."
Developers said the hotel will have 264 rooms, a JWB Grill, a License to Chill Bar, a 2,000-square-foot event center and a pool featuring the Five O'Clock Somewhere Bar and Grill overlooking downtown Cincinnati.
At this time, the nearest Margaritaville resort is in Tennessee. Because there are so many Parrot Heads in the Tri-State, developers said the hotel is "designed to be a destination," not a rest stop for passersby.
Construction is expected to be finished in the fall of 2026.
