--- title: The big business of Margaritaville - The Hustle description: Jimmy Buffett’s beachy anthem has inspired a booming hospitality business. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1714570193-HS-News-Brief_2022-07-17T230640.018Z.webp --- # The big business of Margaritaville ![Rob Litterst](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Rob-Litterst-pic.png?width=48&height=48&name=Rob-Litterst-pic.png) [Rob Litterst](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/rob-litterst) [Rob Litterst Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/robbylit) Published: July 18, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 In 1977, Jimmy Buffett released his most popular song, “Margaritaville.” ![The big business of Margaritaville](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1714570193-HS-News-Brief_2022-07-17T230640.018Z.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1714570193-HS-News-Brief_2022-07-17T230640.018Z.webp) He may not have known it then, but with the track, Buffett planted the seeds for a business empire. While the idea of an experiential lifestyle brand feels new, Buffett’s team at Margaritaville Holdings has been leveraging the strategy for years and has [built a hospitality juggernaut](https://skift.com/2022/07/05/the-margaritaville-ceo-on-just-how-far-the-jimmy-buffett-brand-can-go/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email) in the process, per *Skift*. #### **The Margaritaville empire…** … started in 1985, when Buffett opened a retail store with the name. The real breakthrough came in 1999, when Buffett and business partner John Cohlan opened a 20k-square-foot Margaritaville restaurant at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Rampant expansion followed, and the brand’s portfolio now includes: - 33 hotels, resorts, and other lodging concepts - 150 restaurants, bars, and cafes Across those entities, the company brought in **$1.5B** in sales in 2019. #### **How is Margaritaville so successful?** According to Cohlan, now the CEO of Margaritaville Holdings, it’s all about *emotion*. “Margaritaville was a synonym for paradise and casual fun, and the brand generates an emotion that makes you feel good,” Cohlan told *Skift*. With that in mind, the team is laser-focused on the brand’s aesthetic, using several design staples in every location, including: - An 11-foot-tall pair of flip-flops at the center of every hotel lobby, a popular photo destination for guests - Faucets shaped like whale tails in hotel bathrooms Each lobby also contains a replica of the Statue of Liberty, but with Lady Liberty holding a margarita instead of a torch. #### **Buffett isn’t the first musician…** … to bottle a feeling and build a brand with it. The Grateful Dead are still [pulling in millions](https://variety.com/2020/music/news/grateful-dead-business-1234727346/) off of a variety of revenue streams, even though the original band members played their last show together in 1995. - One key to the success of both is that their fans can easily make fanhood part of their identity. Both Buffett and the Grateful Dead have nicknames for passionate devotees: “Parrot Heads,” and “Deadheads,” respectively. For more on the Grateful Dead’s business genius, check out Hubspot co-founder Brian Halligan’s book, [*Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead*](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003Z0CQZY/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1). Topics: [Music](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/music) [Travel And Leisure](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/travel-and-leisure) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![Ready for a trip? Psychedelic retreats are going mainstream](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/496061094-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-psychretreats_20230926222320.webp) ### Ready for a trip? Psychedelic retreats are going mainstream - ![Ready for a trip? Psychedelic retreats are going mainstream](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/496061094-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-psychretreats_20230926222320.webp) ### Ready for a trip? 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