Sandals is to transform a closed hotel in Jamaica into a spa resort, according to chairman Butch Stewart.
Speaking exclusively to Travel Weekly in Jamaica, Stewart said: “We have a property in Jamaica called Dragon Bay and we are going to give it a complete makeover and make it into one of our real nice spa resorts.”
He also said the Sandals Grande Riviera Beach & Villa Golf Resort in Jamaica was undergoing a $60 million renovation.
Stewart said the overwater suites in the Asian Village, part of its Saint Lucian property, were now under construction, adding that the conversion of the Four Seasons in the Bahamas to Emerald Bay, which opened in 2009, was “working beautifully”.
Commenting on trading conditions, Stewart said: “Occupancy is 17% or 18% up, compared with only 12% last year. One of the key things is that British guests are staying in more of our properties. They used to have their favourites, but now they are spreading out to other resorts.”
He added: “I wanted the UK market as Americans love the Brits so I knew it would be a great mix in resort and I wanted the Italians to make the resorts fashionable.”
Stewart said China was its fastest-growing market. “Last year, we took fewer than 50 bookings from the Chinese. This year, we’ve already taken 350,” he said.