You Can Have a Way Cheaper (and Much Closer) Overwater Bungalow Experience
There are a few travel experiences that tend to top most people’s bucket lists: an African safari, a sunset balloon ride over Turkey’s Cappadocia, a night beneath the dancing aurora borealis in Norway or Iceland, and an overwater bungalow stay somewhere tropical.
Overwater bungalows have become the pinnacle of luxury in warm-weather destinations; a hotel room standing above the water that quite literally brings the ocean to your doorstep. Not only do overwater bungalows tend to promise privacy, but they also afford you the privilege of being able to enjoy the ocean, a private deck, and, in many cases, an infinity pool, without the legions of other sunworshippers that tend to flock to seaside resorts.
Of course, with such a luxury often comes a lofty price tag. Many people tend to think of the Maldives when they imagine an overwater stay. Overwater bungalows in the Maldives can range from reasonable to eye-wateringly exorbitant, such as the $25,000-per-night John Jacob Estate at the St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort. When adding in the cost of flying to such a far-flung locale—on average, a flight from New York to the Maldives starts at $1200—it’s no wonder that overwater stays tend to sit on people’s travel lists for years and years.
Enter the Royalton Chic Antigua, which caught my eye with its overwater bungalows, offering a more reasonable alternative for U.S.-based travelers looking for a luxury Caribbean stay. On average, flights from NYC to Antigua start at $300 and take a little over 4 hours, compared to the 18+ hours it can take to reach the Maldives from New York. At the Royalton Chic Antigua—an adults-only, five-star resort—not only do you arrive in paradise quicker, but you’re bound to enjoy an overall cheaper stay in as beautiful a destination.
The Royalton’s overwater bungalows come with a king bedroom, glass-bottom floors, a spacious terrace with an infinity plunge pool, ladder access to the ocean, and, in some rooms, an overwater hammock. The room, itself, comes with thoughtful details, from branded Bulgari bath products to cozy bathrobes and slippers, but the true luxury is a dedicated butler there to offer personalized assistance, whether that means a morning mimosa, helping with your luggage, arranging an excursion, booking a dinner reservation at one of the many on-site restaurants, or even decorating your room for a special occasion, such as a birthday or anniversary. Should you want to leave your mini oasis for the larger resort, the overwater bungalows offer exclusive Diamond Club access, allowing guests to enjoy a private pool and beach area away from the rest of the resort.
In truth, I’m not much of a resort person. Most of my travels tend to avoid the spoon-fed experiences so often associated with all-inclusive resorts. But what I came to appreciate about the Royalton Chic Antigua is how its overwater bungalows gave the illusion of not being at a resort at all. Separated from the larger resort by a short walk down the beach, protected by a private security desk that ensures only overwater bungalow guests have access to the rooms, the bungalows are positioned on a wooden pier jutting out into the ocean, flanked by a private beach and a small bay to one side. While the Royalton Chic Antigua boasts “Party Your Way” signage for its adult-only guests, encouraging everyone to let loose and order a drink at the swim-up bar, over by the bungalows, it’s quieter and calmer. It’s a welcome change in vibe with an unwritten slogan that seems to suggest that over here, you can “relax your way.”
Feet dangling in my infinity pool, facing an uninterrupted view of the ocean ahead, I could almost forget I was staying at an all-inclusive resort entirely. After all, with the dedicated butler service, there was little need to venture beyond my haven aside from wanting to occasionally dress up and enjoy dinner with the masses. Instead, I spent four days, alongside my husband, feeling like some sort of bougie Robinson Crusoe, enjoying the privacy, quiet, and seclusion of having paradise at my doorstep. Coming from a city like New York, that peace and quiet proved to be the biggest luxury of all.
The New York State Gaming Commission has formally approved three high-profile casino projects in the New York City area, which was the last hurdle to bring Las Vegas-style casinos to the city.
The projects include Steve Cohen, owner of the New York Mets, and Orlando, Florida-based Hard Rock International’s $8.1 billion project to bring a gaming complex near Citi Field (where the Mets play) in Queens, the Genting-Resorts World casino at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens and Bally’s plan to open a casino on President Trump’s former golf course in the Bronx.
“The three approved casinos will generate billions of dollars for the [Metro Transportation Authority] and education, create tens of thousands of jobs and deliver real benefits to their surrounding communities,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a news release. “Each of the projects made significant commitments to their communities and to New York State, and the Gaming Commission was clear that they will hold these projects accountable and make sure they keep their promises.”
The approvals followed a decades-long process to bring casinos to the area and would represent the first full-scale gambling establishments in New York City’s modern history.
These proposals included other high-profile bids, one by rapper Jay-Z, most of which fell through.
State officials project that gaming revenue from these casinos could reach $5.5 billion by 2033, generating $7 billion in tax revenue between 2027 and 2036. New York also expects to collect $1.5 billion in licensing fees and an additional $5.9 billion from other project-related taxes.
Hotels components
Metropolitan Park: The $8.1 billion development plans to transform a parking lot next to Citi Field in Queens into a casino, 1,000-key hotel, convention center and entertainment venue and three million sq. ft. of potential development space. The project will span 78 acres and connect Flushing Meadows Corona Park, home of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, to Citi Field and Bay. The casino could hold 5,000 slot machines, 375 live dealer tables, 30 poker tables and an 18,000 sq. ft. sportsbook.
Bally’s Bronx: Bally’s $4 billion project would build a casino and resort spanning 16 acres next to Bally’s Golf Links in Ferry Point, New York. Bally’s is proposing a 250-foot-tall casino with three million sq. ft. that could hold 3,500 slots and other gambling machines, 250 table games, and a poker room. The proposal also includes a 500-room luxury hotel, dining and entertainment venues, a 2,000-person event center and meeting spaces. Bally’s Bronx is projected to generate over $1 billion in gambling revenue and more than $200 million in state taxes annually. President Trump is also an ancillary winner in this deal. The development site is located next to a golf course he previously owned. As part of the deal, the Trump Organization will receive $115 million from Bally’s following the license approval.
Resorts World Casino New York City: The Genting-Resorts World project is a $5.6 billion development located at the Aqueduct racetrack in Jamaica, Queens, which has historically been one of the best-performing casinos in the U.S. The project proposal includes a 500,000 sq. ft. gaming space with 6,000 slots and 800 table games, 2,000 hotel rooms, a 7,000-seat entertainment venue, a conference center, restaurants, a spa and more. The current casino already includes the 400-key Hyatt Regency JFK Airport hotel.
Mix the proper elements for better event ROI
SCHILLER PARK, Illinois ─ Great event experiences at your venue generate loyalty and drive repeat business. These immersive environments combine the “wow” groups demand with the backstage “how” planners require to continually grow client satisfaction by exceeding expectations. Complex and creative, stand-out experiences in today’s market are best imagined, designed and executed with a full-service production partner you can trust.
With more than 85 years of expertise, Encore has event production down to a science. Our global knowledge base paired with client-by-client flexibility produce transformative events for your guests that build an emotional connection, increasing your venue’s return on investment (ROI) and return on experience (ROE).
Your business is all about people. Creating moments where people feel considered, heard and deeply taken care of is essential. The production partner you choose should represent an extension of your brand, one that prioritizes the development of the hospitality mindset in addition to offering state-of-the-art solutions. It’s important to ask yourself: Do you have that chemistry and those shared core values with the partner you’re considering?
What you want in a production partner
When planners are shopping for venues, your event technology capabilities and infrastructure catapult you above the competition, according to the “2025 Encore Planner Pulse Report.” Once that business is on your books, your production partner needs to be the catalyst to personalize the event experience through a consultative sales approach. This reinforces the value of doing business with your brand and builds confidence that you’ve made the right buying decision. The perfect chemistry — and what keeps customers coming back — is how they’re treated before, during and after the event.
Conversely, a partner who doesn’t regularly invest in the proper elements by updating their technology inventory may be more likely to deliver the same cookie-cutter proposals to all their customers. Treating these important relationships like transactions not only limits the impact of true collaboration, it can also hurt your venue’s reputation and drive business away.
When you partner with Encore, you gain a full-service event solutions team who acts as an extension of your brand. We combine unmatched expertise with white-glove service to support your venue’s reputation for excellence and deliver the consistent results your customers crave. Our team members receive intensive training in customer excellence, safety and technology. In 2025 alone, we’ve invested $75 million in our technology inventory.
Leveraging our investment in cutting-edge training and technology enables Encore to offer customized support for events of any size and type in more than 2,100 venues worldwide. That’s one of the reasons Encore was named a 2025 Official Event Solutions Brand by Forbes Travel Guide.
The science of crafting successful events
Crafting exceptional events begins with a proven formula that blends hospitality, creativity, innovative technology and a high standard of production expertise. But success isn’t just about utilizing the right tools; it’s about the collaborative nature of the relationship, perfect synthesis of shared values and a mutual commitment to delivering outstanding results.
The right production partner for your venue should offer a dedicated team with local resources and event technology tailored to your needs, like the global network of 70 regional warehouses Encore possesses.
The theoretical yield of creating consistently engaging experiences speaks for itself. For event planners, it builds their confidence in your venue’s ability to meet their needs, demonstrating your reliability and bolstering their loyalty. The hospitality mindset is crucial to creating loyalty that lasts and helps to ensure guests and event participants are engaged at every stage of the event experience.
At Encore, we survey our customers after every event to ensure we are delivering a consistently high level of service and fulfilling our promise to customize the event experience. We are proud to report that our year-over-year (YoY) overall satisfaction scores have increased each year over the past three years. Encore performance across all events improved in 2025, with the most significant gains for events with revenues of $50,000-$99,000. Our YoY value for price paid also increased by three points this year.
Dedicated to innovation: creating transformative experience
Innovation is the driving force behind events that leave a lasting impression. We believe experimentation is the key to success. By testing new ideas and creative solutions in collaboration with attuned acknowledgment and integration of customer needs, we continue to set the standard of engagement. For example, we keep detailed event histories of every one of the 400,000-plus annual events we produce. This information is shared with our global teams to strengthen relationships with repeat customers. Wherever their events take them, we are there to help them build from the foundation of past successes; they never have to start from scratch.
Our team brings deep expertise and hands-on experience to tackle challenges and turn bold concepts into reality. Innovation isn’t just a buzzword — it drives business and a willingness to engage in partnership. That’s why we provide tools to help customers make informed buying decisions, like the interactive Event Solutions Explorer that makes it easier for them to visualize different in-room options at various price points. When your partner takes the time to understand the business drivers of each event and help the customer bring their vision to life on time and within budget, that directly influences both bottom-line results and experience-based satisfaction — for your venue, event customers and their guests. In other words, your event technology partner and your venue become a binary compound of success.
Ultimately, you want to find an event production partner with the right mix of elements to increase ROI and ROE that produces the perfect chemical reaction to transform your event business. Encore is here to bring event science to life. Our collaborative approach delivers unmatched technology, inventive end-to-end event solutions and white-glove service that helps you attract new business, build loyalty and keeps customers coming back for more.
Madeleine Bart is Vice President, Global Brand Customer Marketing, Encore
The views and opinions expressed in this content do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Hotel Investment Today by Northstar or Northstar Travel Group and its affiliated companies.
Travel buzzwords come and go, as do the trends behind them. In the latest episode of the CoStar News Hotels podcast, Hertelier Founder and Editor-in-Chief Emily Goldfischer identifies the travel trends set to make lasting impact in 2026.
Connection is the throughline, and that connection is to people and places, not electronic devices, Goldfischer said. Top trends for 2026 include skillcations, where travelers try their hand at cooking, farming or new sports such as padel or pickleball. People are finding new times to travel that are less busy and picking travel companions that matter more than locations
Along with CoStar News' Stephanie Ricca, Goldfischer discusses how many of the 2026 trends center on making travel meaningful again.
Travel trends for 2026
- Off-season travel: People are planning trips for less-popular times, whether it's to take advantage of discounted pricing or to stress less about crowds.
- "Skillcations" let travelers learn something new on their holiday. People come home with new knowledge and hobbies and more than just a typical beach photo.
- Food and drinks: Goldfischer argues that the "girl dinner" concept of a martini, truffle fries and a Caesar salad cropping up on hotel bar menus everywhere is more of a "menu meme" than a lasting trend. The more prevailing food-and-beverage trend is that people — an increasing number of which are on weight-loss medication — are seeking time out with friends and family over smaller meals that reflect the locale.
- Reading trips: Literary-minded travelers are choosing hotels with optimal spots to curl up with a good book, and they're coming home with the "shelfies" to prove it.
- Ultra-luxury travel: Goldfischer and Ricca agree that travel at the very highest end of the spectrum endures amid other global challenges, and relies more and more on people and planners.
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