Sandals accelerates $200m resort rebuild after hurricane damage
Sandals is accelerating a $200 million transformation of three Jamaica resorts damaged by Hurricane Melissa last year, with executive chairman Adam Stewart describing the rebuild as the continuation of ‘Sandals 2.0’.
Speaking exclusively with Travel Weekly, Stewart said: “Sandals 2.0 is a commitment to the future. It’s about innovation and advancement for our people, our customers and the whole ecosystem of Caribbean tourism.”
Sandals South Coast is due to reopen on November 18 after an $80 million renovation, followed by Sandals Royal Caribbean and Sandals Montego Bay on December 18. All three resorts had originally been scheduled to reopen on May 30.
Sandals Royal Plantation, Sandals Ochi, Sandals Dunn’s River, Sandals Negril and Beaches Negril continue to operate.
Stewart is confident there will be no more delays to opening. “I decided to advance the scope of work for a few more months. We would not have had the opportunity to do this work without the hotels being closed. I can assure customers will be blown away.”
Recalling how the company acquired four hotels during the Covid pandemic, Stewart added: “Sandals is famous for not wasting a good crisis.”
The redevelopment includes new accommodation categories, redesigned pools, expanded culinary offerings and refreshed lounge and social spaces. At Sandals Montego Bay, permission to add 16 overwater bungalows has been secured.
Despite the closure of approximately 900 rooms, the company retained all 2,000 employees on payroll with full benefits and 50% gratuities.
About 500 staff members were redeployed to resorts in the Bahamas, Barbados and Turks and Caicos, while others assisted with reconstruction efforts.
“At a time of absolute devastation, we wanted to stand by our people,” Stewart said. “It’s been a huge financial impact, of course, but we are well insured with business interruption. We’ve taken our insurance money and added substantially on top to upgrade and 2.0 our products.”
Stewart also insisted the investment would not significantly impact pricing. He explained: “We will introduce new premium categories but the pricing in the market has held in the same ratio with normal increases.”
Alongside rebuilding, Sandals is strengthening protection against future weather events through strict construction standards and advanced coastal development regulations. Measures include concrete roof decks beneath decorative roofing systems to minimise damage and tighter controls on shoreline construction.
Stewart pointed to Sandals South Coast as proof of the model’s resilience after the resort endured a direct Category 5 hit without structural failure, including to its overwater villas.
He said: “Sandals operates to the highest standards in the Caribbean.”
Environmental initiatives also remain central to the company’s strategy, from marine sanctuaries and coral regeneration projects to grey-water recycling and reverse osmosis systems.
Sandals has recorded strong engagement from travel agents this year, with booking volumes and revenues at their highest point in the company’s history.
“We believe a travel agent gives a customer a higher level of service,” Stewart explained, noting the complexity of his all-inclusive product, with extensive room categories, restaurants and resort villages.
Stewart added: “My dad built this company through travel agents and we remain extremely proud and protective of those relationships. As long as I’m here, that will never change.”
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