Regent Bora Bora Will Reopen in Late 2027 After an Overwater Rebuild

IHG Hotels & Resorts is bringing Regent to French Polynesia by converting the former InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa into Regent Bora Bora. The 84-villa property closed on 1 June 2026 and is scheduled to reopen in late 2027 after an extensive renovation with long-time partner Pacific Beachcomber.

The resort sits on a private motu on the eastern side of Bora Bora's lagoon, with views of Mount Otemanu and the Pacific. It will keep an all-overwater room inventory and direct lagoon access. That places Regent next to established ultra-luxury names already in the Hotel Flock encyclopedia, including Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora and The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort.

What changes for guests after the conversion?

IHG says the redesign will push the property into modern upper luxury with service and dining tied more tightly to Polynesian culture and the surrounding environment. Regent's brand toolkit arrives with the reopening: Personal Havens for private downtime, Regent Experience Agents as a single dedicated contact through the stay, and With Compliments inclusions folded into the rate rather than sold as nickel-and-dime extras.

Pacific Beachcomber founder Richard Bailey has framed Regent's quieter, personalized style as a fit for what Bora Bora guests actually want. For travellers who knew the InterContinental as a thalasso-and-overwater classic, the ask is whether Regent can keep the lagoon romance while raising service density and culinary ambition.

Why keep the seawater cooling system?

One operational detail matters more than the branding deck. The resort was the first hotel in the world to use seawater air conditioning, pulling cold deep-ocean water from the Pacific to cool rooms and kitchens. IHG says the system cut electricity needed for air conditioning and refrigeration by about 90%, and it will stay in place after the conversion.

That continuity is rare in luxury brand flips, where renovations often strip the systems that made a site distinctive. Keeping seawater cooling gives Regent a sustainability story guests can verify on arrival, not just a press-release claim.

Where does this sit in Regent's portfolio?

Regent Bora Bora will be the brand's first address in French Polynesia, joining properties in Hong Kong, Santa Monica, Phu Quoc, Cannes, Shanghai, and Bali. For IHG, the conversion deepens a South Pacific foothold without building a new island resort from scratch. For guests planning 2028 travel, the practical window is late 2027 reopening: watch for reservation dates once renovation milestones firm up, and compare Regent's inclusion-heavy model against Four Seasons and St. Regis rates on the same lagoon.