Miami-based hoteliers invest in 35-room property in The Bahamas

Jesper and Gustaf Arnoldsson are part of a partnership that acquired the Peace & Plenty Hotel in Great Exuma

Jesper and Gustaf Arnoldsson
Jesper and Gustaf Arnoldsson

Miami-based boutique hotel owner-operators Jesper and Gustaf Arnoldsson of SMS Lodging are part of a partnership that acquired a historic hotel in the southern Bahamas.

SMS Lodging will manage the operations of the Peace & Plenty Hotel on Great Exuma, which was built in 1958 by Lawrence Lewis, grandnephew of Henry Flagler, the railroad tycoon who pioneered the development of Florida more than century ago.

Jesper and Gustaf Arnoldsson acquired the hotel together longtime Exuma real estate investors Steve and Patrick Harrington and Bahamian entrepreneur Burton Rodgers.

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The hotel is now closed while the new owners renovate the property, scheduled to reopen in mid-December.

The property in downtown Georgetown has 35 waterfront rooms, a swimming pool, restaurant, two bars and a dock along Elizabeth Harbour.

“SMS has a strong presence and proven track record in South Florida and the Florida Keys, and we’ve been keen to expand our presence into the Caribbean,” Jesper Arnoldsson, CEO of SMS Lodging, said in a prepared statement. “The Bahamas was a natural stepping stone of growth for our company.”