Image credit: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for Sandals Resorts
More than 100 travel agents from across the world attended the official launch party for Jamaica’s newest resort last week.
Sandals Ochi Beach Resort, which has undergone a multi-million dollar renovation, was formerly known as the Sandals Grande Riviera.
The resort now features seven new Gourmet Discovery Dining options including Tapas on the Riviera; French cuisine at Le Gourmand; beachside seafood restaurant, Vista Sky Terrace; The Southern Table, offering soul food; and The Jerk Shack, with Jamaican cuisine.
New speakeasy bar The Rabbit Hole has also been added, along with a new Ochi Beach Club, reinvented resort entertainment, upgraded accommodation, the addition of a Popcorn & Palms Cinema, a new garden, updated furniture, water installations and signature firepits.
Included in the celebrations was a rendition of Jamaica’s national anthem by local singers and speeches by government officials and dignitaries, including a formal address by the country’s Prime Minister, Portia Simpson Miller.
Sandals founder and chairman Gordon “Butch” Stewart, chief executive Adam Stewart and general manager Ramel Sabrino oversaw the ribbon cutting.
An after party at the Sandals Great House Pool featured a fireworks display, carnival dancers, tracks by DJ Tracy Young and an electric performance by Jamaican-Born singer and DJ, Shaggy.
Stewart said: “What we’ve accomplished here is a game-changer for the all-inclusive resort experience in Jamaica, solidifying Sandals Ochi as Jamaica’s most comprehensive resort in the region.
“We’re leading the next generation of resorts in Jamaica, and while others may try to follow, we will continue to do what we do best, exceed guest expectations. This resort never lets me forget where I began, where I come from and what is possible here in Jamaica and throughout the Caribbean.”
Simpson Miller added: “Sandals’ story is a well-known one in these parts and most of us here in Jamaica and throughout the region have watched with interest as Sandals has embarked on a meteoric rise to becoming one of the most well-known brands in the world.”
Standing between the verdant St Ann’s mountains and the Caribbean Sea, the resort has 529 rooms and suites, 16 restaurants and two spas.