Margaritaville at Lanier Islands

What Margaritaville at Lanier Islands does

Margaritaville at Lanier Islands is a franchise-operated resort destination located in Buford, Georgia on Lake Lanier, operating under the Margaritaville Hotels & Resorts brand owned by Margaritaville Enterprises LLC (Orlando, Florida). The property combines overnight accommodations (hotel rooms, suites, vacation rentals), Camp Margaritaville RV resort with cabin and glamping options, a water park, Snow Island tubing and skating, and multiple dining venues including License to Chill Bar & Café, LandShark Bar & Grill, and JWB Prime Steak and Seafood. It serves leisure travelers and families, RV and outdoor enthusiasts, and meeting/event planners seeking a lake-based vacation experience anchored in the Jimmy Buffett-inspired "island lifestyle" brand identity.

The underlying technology stack is conventional for a mid-scale destination resort: a centralized property management and booking system hosted on the Margaritaville Hotels & Resorts platform, the Margaritaville Perks loyalty program for direct booking incentives, and third-party integrations including OpenTable for restaurant reservations and My Eatz App for express food pickup. There are no proprietary AI, ML, or data-driven product capabilities disclosed. Distribution is primarily direct through the Margaritaville website and phone reservations, supplemented by travel advisors and OTA channels.

Revenue is generated through four streams: lodging accommodations (rooms, suites, vacation rentals, RV/cabin sites), food and beverage across on-site restaurants and bars, activities and experiences (water sports, recreation, entertainment), and day passes plus cabana rentals for non-overnight visitors. Pricing is managed at the property level and is not publicly disclosed. As a franchise property, revenue accrues to the individual owner/operator; Margaritaville Enterprises LLC earns franchise fees, licensing royalties, and distribution benefits without direct operating exposure to this property's P&L.

Name

Margaritaville at Lanier Islands

Legal name

Margaritaville Enterprises LLC

Website

https://margaritavilleresorts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Margaritaville at Lanier Islands is a franchise resort in Buford, Georgia offering lake lodging, a water park, Snow Island tubing/skating, RV/cabin camping, and themed dining under the Margaritaville brand. It serves leisure travelers, families, RV enthusiasts, and event groups seeking a branded destination experience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Buford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Lodging Accommodations: Revenue from hotel rooms, suites, vacation rentals, and campground/RV site rentals at the Lanier Islands resort property
2. Food and Beverage: Revenue from on-site restaurants, bars, and catering services including Margaritaville-themed dining venues
3. Activities and Experiences: Revenue from water sports, recreational activities, entertainment, and experiences offered at the lake resort
4. Day Passes and Cabana Rentals: Revenue from day visitors seeking pool and amenity access without overnight stays

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Margaritaville at Lanier Islands operates a lakeside resort on Lake Lanier in Buford, Georgia, providing cabin and RV overnight accommodations, a water park (Wild Waves), a snow-tubing/ice-skating attraction (Snow Island), multiple themed food and beverage outlets, and event/meeting venues. It sells day passes, attraction tickets, overnight stays, seasonal memberships (Margarita Pass), and event bookings under the Margaritaville brand through a franchise/license arrangement.

Product overview

Margaritaville at Lanier Islands is part of the Margaritaville Hotels & Resorts portfolio, a collection of vacation properties and experiences centered around the 'State of Mind' lifestyle brand inspired by Jimmy Buffett. The portfolio includes traditional hotels and resorts, Camp Margaritaville RV resorts, vacation clubs, all-inclusive properties, and cruise ships. Core products include resort accommodations at various destinations, dining venues (LandShark Bar & Grill, License to Chill Bar & Café, JWB Prime Steak and Seafood), the Margaritaville Perks loyalty program, and day pass access. The brand operates across 42 resorts in 37 cities across 6 countries, offering water sports, spa services, golf, meetings, and wedding venues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Compass Hotels: Boutique hotel properties offering iconic island style at leisure markets, downtown hubs, and college neighborhoods.
• Camp Margaritaville
• Margaritaville Vacation Club
• Margaritaville at Sea
• LandShark
• Margaritaville Perks
• License to Chill Bar

Products and services

• Resort Cabin Rentals Overnight cabin accommodations at the lakeside resort for families and leisure travelers seeking a multi-day vacation with on-site access to attractions and dining.
• RV Resort / Campground RV sites and campground accommodations with full hookups at the Margaritaville at Lanier Islands resort for RV travelers and outdoor enthusiasts.
• Wild Waves Water Park On-site water park attraction available to resort guests and day visitors, offering water-based recreation at the Lake Lanier location.
• Snow Island (Snow Tubing & Ice Skating) Year-round indoor snow attraction featuring snow tubing and ice skating, providing winter-style recreation in a Southeast US climate.
• Margarita Pass Membership Seasonal paid membership program with Silver, Gold, and Platinum tiers providing members with discounts, perks, and benefits across resort attractions and F&B.
• LandShark Bar & Grill Themed on-site restaurant and bar serving casual American fare and drinks to resort guests and visitors.
• License to Chill Bar Themed on-site bar providing beverages and a casual lounge experience for resort guests and visitors.
• Chill Cove On-site food and beverage venue at the resort serving casual drinks and bites to guests.
• Sunset Cove Restaurant Themed on-site restaurant at the resort offering dining with lake views for guests and visitors.
• Eagle's Nest Taphouse On-site taphouse serving craft beer and casual fare to resort guests and visitors.
• Weddings and Events Destination wedding, corporate event, and group retreat hosting with on-site catering, event coordination, and lodging bundled at the resort.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Franchisees and LicenseescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndividual property owners operate Margaritaville-branded hotels, resorts, and restaurants under franchise and license agreements with Margaritaville Enterprises LLC. Each property is individually owned and operated while leveraging the Margaritaville brand, trademarks, and operational standards.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kalahari Resorts: Family water park resort operator with multiple U.S. locations combining hotel rooms, indoor water parks, and themed dining. Directly comparable to Lanier Islands' lodging-plus-water-park positioning.
• Wilderness Resort (Wisconsin Dells): Large-scale water park and hotel resort in Wisconsin Dells with multiple lodging towers, water parks, dining venues, and family activities. Comparable multi-amenity resort model.
• Center Parcs: European forest/village resort operator offering cabins, indoor water parks, and family activities on a single integrated campus. Closest European analog to Lanier Islands' cabin/RV plus water-park model.
• Great Wolf Lodge: Operates indoor water park resorts across North America with on-site lodging, dining, and family entertainment packages. Most comparable business model to Margaritaville at Lanier Islands given the shared water-park-plus-hotel concept targeting families and groups.
• Atlantis Paradise Island: Iconic water-themed full-service resort with marine/aquarium attractions, multiple lodging tiers, restaurants, and activities. Comparable in combining waterfront location, water-based attractions, and broad lodging diversity.
• Schlitterbahn Resorts: Water-park-led resort properties in Texas and Kansas with attached lodging and dining. Comparable water-park-centric resort business with seasonal demand patterns similar to Lanier Islands.

Broad incumbents

• Hilton Hotels & Resorts: Global full-service hotel brand with broad resort portfolio including lakefront and beachfront properties. Comparable in resort lodging offering, though without water-park centerpiece.
• Gaylord Hotels (Marriott): Large convention-focused resort hotels with extensive on-site dining, pools, and event space. Comparable in targeting meetings/events and leisure guests at a single multi-amenity property.
• Marriott Resorts: Large-scale full-service resort operator with global footprint. Comparable in destination resort lodging model, though typically without integrated water-park or RV/campground components.
• Disney Resort Hotels: Themed full-service resort hotels integrated with major entertainment destinations. Comparable in branded immersive lodging with strong family/groups focus, though at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/margaritavilleresorts
• Facebookfacebook.com/MargaritavilleatLanierIslands
• Instagraminstagram.com/margaritavillestays
• TikToktiktok.com/@margaritavillestays
• Pinterestpinterest.com/margaritavilleresorts
• Xx.com/Mville_LI

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Margaritaville at Lanier Islands