Michael Ryan

Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Mike Ryan attended the Hillfield Stratharallen Preparatory School and then studied medieval literature and philosophy at McGill University. He also spent time on a whale research vessel in the Caribbean and, until his insurers told him to quit, pursued hang-gliding, flying, and mountain climbing among other sports.

His boyhood hobby was fixing things, and by the age of 14 he had formed his own construction company during summer break, hiring friends to work on simple projects such as house painting and repairs. After college, Ryan's career in construction continued in Toronto, Quebec and Europe on such projects as a marina development in George’s Bay, townhouse construction in Ontario and as general manager with Mont Ste. Anne in Quebec, a 256-room hotel with 100 chalets, extensive ski facilities and a golf course. During that period, he recognized the potential of developing private residential communities of second and vacation homes within the context of a full-service luxury resort with extraordinary amenities such as championship golf and lifestyle concierge services.

In the late 1980’s, Ryan traveled for two years searching for the ideal location to implement his idea. After exploring Russia, Europe, the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia, he decided Costa Rica was the best fit. After thorough research of suitable locations, he developed a pilot project of 110 villas. In the meantime, he began development of a 588-acre site on the Cacique del Mar peninsula, with plans for two major resorts and private homes. The project required Ryan to essentially carve the development out of wilderness, even designing and building roads, high-tension power lines, water systems and other infrastructure. In a fortuitous coincidence, the opportunity to develop a resort in the Cayman Islands with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC surfaced just as the Cacique del Mar project ran into bureaucratic difficulties. The Ritz-Carlton, eager to expand in the Ritz Carlton in the Caribbean, was looking for someone with offshore development experience. When the company expressed a willingness to financially back its plans in Grand Cayman, Ryan signed on as developer.

As Michael Ryan continues developing the residences and Cayman Islands' largest real estate and tourism development project toward completion, he has addressed daunting construction challenges, delicate negotiations with government, labor and community groups, and the lofty expectations of a partnership with the world’s top-rated hotel company to make Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman the  #1 Ritz-Carlton in the Region.

The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman is comprised of 365 luxurious guestrooms and suites along with 125 luxurious privately owned vacation homes called The Residences at Grand Cayman Secret Harbour located on the breathtaking white sands of Seven Mile Beach.  The DeckHouses, Grand Cayman's latest private residences offer the best of both worlds - seclusion of a private island home and the service of a world-class resort just steps away. The five-bedroom single-family homes include an attached private boathouse, guest cottage, infinity pool, personal beach, luxury vehicle, golf cart and handcrafted antique-style boat, on a lush and exclusive island just steps away from The Ritz Carlton resort grounds.

The resort includes Silver Rain, a La Prairie Spa, five dining venues including a restaurant by Eric Ripert of New York's acclaimed Le Bernardin restaurant, a tennis center by Nick Bollettieri, Ambassadors of the Environment by Jean-Michel Cousteau family program and Blue Tip, a Greg Norman-designed nine-hole golf course.  The resort is such a favorite to luxury travelers that it was recently ranked the #1 Resort in the region by Condé Nast Traveler readers.