Globalia Changes Strategy in the Caribbean: From Be Live Hotel Chain to Residential Giant in the Dominican Republic
The tourism map of the Dominican Republic is changing, and one of the key players in this shift is Globalia. The tourism group that once managed more than thirty hotels under the Be Live Hotels brand has now reduced its hotel division to just two directly managed properties: one in Spain and one in the Dominican Republic.
Behind this decision is not improvisation, but a deep business reorientation, accelerated by the pandemic and a new focus: the residential tourism market in the Caribbean.
From More Than 30 Be Live Hotels… to Just Two Under Direct Management
According to its president, Juan José Hidalgo, the group has sold or transferred management of practically all Be Live hotels it operated in:
- Spain
- Portugal
- Morocco
- Caribbean
The current picture of Globalia's hotel division is much more reduced:
- Be Live Talavera (Talavera de la Reina, Toledo – Spain)
- Santo Domingo Bay Convention Resort & Casino (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic), recently renovated and partially converted into apartments.
Additionally, there is a third property under temporary management:
- Be Live Marivent (Palma), which only has one more year of management remaining.
Hidalgo puts it bluntly:
"There are no more, everything is finished, we had to sell due to the pandemic and lack of money. We had to lose many things, but they are now forgotten."
What Globalia Still Has in the Dominican Republic
Although the Be Live brand practically disappears from the country, this does not mean Globalia is withdrawing from the Dominican Republic; on the contrary, it is reorganizing its portfolio:
- It maintains five hotels as property in the country, though none operate under Be Live anymore.
- Management of several of these assets has been transferred to:
- Hyatt (two hotels).
- Lifestyle, an Austrian group specializing in timeshare (one of the properties).
- Of the two remaining assets:
- One functions as an aparthotel, currently inactive, pending definition of its future.
- The other will be converted into residential, betting on a model that, according to Hidalgo, now has more potential than traditional hotel operations.
Strategic Shift: From "All-Inclusive" to Residential Tourism
Globalia's move is not just a risk reduction: it's a business model change.
The company is betting heavily on the residential market in the Dominican Republic, driven by several factors:
Growth in demand for second homes from:
- Buyers from the United States
- Buyers from Canada
Search for destinations with:
- Good weather year-round
- Attractive cost of living
- Established air connectivity
Hidalgo compares what is happening in the DR with what happened years ago in the Canary Islands with the German market: tourist areas that, little by little, transform into international residential communities.
The Plan in Numbers
In Santo Domingo, Globalia already has around 1,000 apartments, of which 600 are already sold.
The goal for the next two or three years is to add another 2,000 more apartments.
In other words, the group is building a true Caribbean residential empire, leveraging assets that were previously purely hotel-related.
New Developments: Bet on Cumayasa
In addition to its hotels and projects in Santo Domingo, Globalia owns an estate in Cumayasa, a coastal area of San Pedro de Macorís province, shared with Spanish businesswoman Susana Cereceda.
Hidalgo's intention is clear:
To develop an important project there, aligned with the group's residential and tourism strategy.
Cumayasa, due to its location between Santo Domingo and La Romana, has the potential to become another vacation real estate development hub.
Why Globalia Bets on Diversification
Hidalgo's statements help understand the underlying logic:
"I am very versatile. I have never dedicated myself to a single business; I always had parallel investments, mainly real estate, in case everything went to hell with tourism, so I would at least have something left for the rest of my life."
In other words:
- The pandemic demonstrated the vulnerability of pure hotel business.
- Residential real estate, on the other hand, offers:
- Income from unit sales.
- Asset appreciation potential.
- Less exposure to tourism seasonality.
What This Means for the Dominican Republic
For the country, Globalia's reconfiguration has several implications:
Fewer Be Live Hotels, But More Structural Investment
The hotel brand is reduced, but capital presence is not: assets remain in the country, reconverted or managed by new international brands.
Boost to the International Residential Segment
The development of thousands of apartments targeting audiences from the U.S., Canada, and Europe positions the DR as a retirement and second home destination.
Modernization of the Real Estate Park
Many of Globalia's buildings were old constructions; their conversion into residences means renovating infrastructure and adapting it to current market expectations.
Greater Tourism Diversification
The boundary between "hotel" and "residential tourism" is blurring:
Mixed complexes are emerging that combine apartments, hotel services, leisure, and in some cases, timeshare.
Keys for Travelers and Investors
If You Travel to the Dominican Republic
- You'll see fewer Be Live hotels, but more presence from other brands (Hyatt, Lifestyle…) and new residential tourism projects.
- Areas like Santo Domingo, Boca Chica, San Pedro de Macorís, and other coastal hubs will continue to gain alternative accommodation offerings: aparthotels, vacation residences, condos with services, etc.
If You're Thinking of Investing or Buying a Second Home
- The DR is consolidating as an interesting destination for real estate investment linked to tourism.
- The model Globalia is promoting points to:
- Projects with resort-type services, but with private ownership of units.
- Clear orientation to international buyers seeking climate, relative legal security, and air connectivity.
Conclusion: Fewer Hotels, More Caribbean in the Long Term
What at first glance appears to be a withdrawal of Globalia from the hotel business is, in reality, a strategic repositioning:
- It closes a chapter as a major operator of the Be Live brand.
- It strengthens its role as a long-term investor in the Dominican Republic, now focused on the residential tourism market.
In a scenario where tourism continues to break records in the DR and the Caribbean consolidates as a refuge for living and retiring, Globalia's move shows where the coming years may go:
Less traditional hotel construction, more hybrid projects that combine living, vacationing, and investing in the same destination.
