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The Latest on the Westin

westin st john sept 25 2018

Well folks, it’s been a few months since we’ve updated you on the Westin. With all the talk about Caneel and Cinnamon recently, we’ve received quite a few messages asking us about the status of the Westin.

Well we have great news to share with you all! It looks like a good amount of the Westin is on track to reopen in January 2019. As we’ve previously told you, workers are on site nearly every day and are working hard to get the resort back into tip-top shape. The units on the beach side appear to have had more work completed including new roofs. Visible work on the units across the street didn’t begin until recently, and from what we hear, those units will not be opening on time in January.

We spoke with a few friends who own timeshares at the Westin in the hillside section. Those owners were told their area would not open in January 2019 as originally expected. The Westin, however, is accommodating those owners (who own weeks earlier in the year) by allowing them to stay in a unit on the beach side of the property. We’ve also learned that only timeshare owners will be able to make reservations for the first few months in 2019.

But back to some more positive news. It appeared that work has begun on the pool area, and the Westin has a brand new ferry for guests. (Click here to read all about that.)

We stopped by the Westin yesterday and took some pics and a video for you. Because the property is closed to the public, we took most of the pics from the beach and a road adjacent to the property. (All beaches in the USVI are public.) Please check them out:

westin beach sept 25 2018

westin beachfront buildings sept 25 2018

westin beachfront building sept 25 2018

westin tracks on beach sept 25 2018

westin pool area sept 25 2018

westin private property sign sept 25 2018

westin private property sign sept 25 2018

westin hillside buildings sept 25 2018

westin lobby sept 25 2018
The lobby and restaurant area appears to have remained untouched thus far.

And here is a quick video we took:

The Westin is now owned by Vistana. Its website www.westinstjohn.com now directs to a dead end on the Marriott’s website. The new website for the Westin is located at www.vistana.com/destinations/the-westin-st-john-resort-villas/overview

And lastly, for those of you who’d like a daily Westin fix, you can watch the rebuild live via our webcam at www.newsofstjohn.com/webcam

That’s all we have for you today, folks! Have a wonderful Wednesday!

17 thoughts on “The Latest on the Westin”

  1. Jen:
    Thanks for the update – I am a Westin owner and you are correct – I am up on the hill across the street all the way up top and my unit will not be ready, however the Westin is putting me in another unit for my stay! Can’t wait to get back – I travel late January to mid February.
    Chris

  2. Marriott/SPG seems to have taken inventory offline, after it had previously been available from May 1, 2019 and beyond. Wonder if they are having to hold inventory back to fit timeshare owner demand. I was able to get a reservation for July, 2019 two months ago, but now, zero dates are open. So there’s something going on there…just not sure what.

    • Yeah I would guess it’s a combination of owner demand and perhaps unexpected construction delays due to supply or getting things approved. I’m not an expert on how these things go in the USVI but I would guess that there are a lot more variables to get these done there than on the mainland.

    • You were very lucky Carl and I have no idea how you did it because every day in May/June that I want since I can’t get Memorial Day is not “Open” until that day’s date in September. (ie. book May 28th on Sept. 28th). I’ve been trying to book our Bay Vista for the last two days and every time I go in, nothing is available even though it was a few hours before. For example midnight today was the first time you were supposed to be able to book May 28th yet, 30 min before that, all availability disappeared. June 1 appears as green right now on their calendar, but when I do a search for it, nothing comes up.

      • MK, keep in mind I am talking about a regular Marriott/SPG hotel reservation (using points! which makes the fact that I was able to book even more fortunate and surprising).

        Oddly, on the hotel site, sometimes a Sat-Sat stay will show as available, but then when you click to take the next step in making a reservation, it shows as unavailable.

        Either they are way behind schedule and have decided to pull the plug on new reservations for the timebeing, or the demand has been so great on the timeshare side, that they have pulled all inventory through hotel bookings, or some combination of the two.

        My problem is that everything seems so odd about my reservation that I hesitate to book flights just yet.

  3. Hi, we have weeks 1 and 2 (Jan 6 – Jan 20) in hillside building 31 and were told it would be ready but that the poolside villas further down the hill would not be ready by then. If anyone has other information please let me know. Thanks. I will try calling Vistana again for an update.

  4. Thank you so much for all of your posts I have been following along since the beginning. It is so good to see the island coming back to life and I can’t wait to return!

  5. I am disturbed that Vistana has not been forthcoming with the same information you posted. Thank you for update. As an owner in Bay Vista, I do not agree with Vistana’s plans. It is my understanding that there are four different Westin St John ownerships companies – 3 on the beach side and 1 across the road. If this is the case(was told this at time of purchase) would Vistana be allowing the beachside owners to bump the hillside folks if the situations were reversed? I had two vacations cancelled in 2018 and banked my points with the understanding I could use them in 2019; however this is not going to happen with the bumping policy Vistana has chosen. Again no accurate info from Vistana – calling them has been a waste of time. Are they planning to have me pay my maintenance fee for a property they alloted to other folks. Miss St John, but this beyond my control. Again thanks for your continuous updates.

    • I agree with you here. We are in the same boat as you. We go on even years, could not go in 2018, so we want to go in 2019 except every time I try to book, villa availability mysteriously disappears even though to reservation period was not open yet.

      • remember you cannot use 2018 banked points for 2019 until 8 months out,even at your home resort. I can’t book anything until November and by probably by then nothing will be available.

      • I too have not been able to get a positive answer as to the opening of certain sections. We have a week booked for Easter Week (with Points) April 20-27 2019. It is in Coral Vista / 2 bdrm w/ loft. Since we have rented a catamaran in the BVI for April 6-13, we will not be able to use it. We were not able to get a consecutive week to add on to our sailing adventure.

  6. I have a 3BR villa for week 1, and we were told some time ago that it wouldn’t be ready. At that time we were booked in a 3 BR somewhere else on the property. We arrive Jan. 5, 2019.

  7. Is Jan 4th 2019 still a realistic opening day?
    Would be really nice to touch base with someone on the property to verify opening dates before buying flight tickets. No one answers the local number.
    Please let me know?
    Thanks,

    aida

  8. Hi

    Has anyone been to the villas recently? I wanted to go & there is availability. I called and the rep said it’s going to be completely reopened in May. I have never been there so I didn’t know if it was worth it to go in April or wait till after it’s all finished
    thank you very much

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