Warm weather holidays are a time for rest and relaxation. But for some, the anxiety of wearing a swimsuit in public or the fear that they will be fat-shamed when they hit up the breakfast buffet can ruin a vacation.
Enter The Resort, the first all-inclusive hotel that caters specifically to overweight and obese people. Entrepreneur James King founded the luxury property, located on Eleuthera/Harbour Island in the Bahamas.
“I Decided I Had To Do Something”
The businessman told People that he came up with the idea many years ago when he noticed full-figured people running into awkward and even humiliating situations at other hotels.
“On my first day working at a resort in Grenada, a young woman sat down in one of the loungers, and she went right through it, and everybody on the beach was laughing,” he said. “The next day I was in my office, and I hear screaming and yelling, and she was having a fit because the owner’s policy was that she was charged $150 for destruction of hotel property. And I thought that it was insane… I tried to convince the owners that we needed furniture other than this plastic flimsy stuff, and they didn’t care. I decided that I had to do something.”
At The Resort, King makes sure that these types of problems don’t exist, thanks to reinforced furniture (beds included) and extra-wide doors. The sun loungers, made from strong wood, can hold up to 560 pounds.
Guests Are Able To Feel Like Themselves
“Being able to feel ‘normal,’ even for a little while, was beyond a gift,” one guest, a woman from Texas, told the New York Post. “Can you imagine how it feels to walk down a beach and hear people refer to you as a beached whale?”
At The Resort, she donned a swimsuit without fear.
“I wore a bikini, and never felt uncomfortable, and I was noticed for my beauty, not my size,” she said. “Living as a plus-size person in a judgmental world is stressful.”
The Resort is a luxury destination with five miles of private sand and three buffet meals a day. Room rates start at $145/night plus tax and 6% gratuity; a one-bedroom villa will set you back $180/night plus tax 6% gratuity; and a two-bedroom villa costs $265/night plus tax and 6% gratuity. A representative of the property notes The Resort is currently still closed due to COVID but is assessing the status daily and recommends visiting this website for Bahamian travel information and entry requirements.
The Resort has been successful enough that the company is expanding to a second location — a representative noted the company just acquired 100 acres outside of Dallas, Texas to build a new The Resort flagship property.
It’s great to see that this resort is helping people feel comfortable in their own skin — no matter their size. No one should ever be made to feel bad about themselves, especially not on vacation.