Sandals reopens five Jamaican resorts as local tourism seeks a rebound
/ Our Today
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Durrant Pate/ Contributor
Jamaican-based Sandals Resorts International (SRI), the Caribbean’s leading all-inclusive resort company, reopened five of its Jamaica properties, marking a major step forward for tourism on the island.
The returning resorts include Sandals Dunn’s River, Sandals Royal Plantation, Sandals Ochi, Sandals Negril and Beaches Negril, each welcoming guests back to Jamaica’s famed north coast as of last Saturday December 6.
This comes five weeks after Hurricane Melissa devastated the island, forcing these and other Sandals and Beaches resorts on the island to close when the Category 5 storm, the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, slammed into the island on October 25.
Three other Sandals resorts—Sandals Montego Bay, Sandals Royal Caribbean, and Sandals South Coast—did not reopen in December. The plan is to reopen these three, which all require additional time for renovations, on May 30, 2026. “There’s a real sense of momentum across Jamaica right now,” explains SRI’s Executive Chairman, Adam Stewart, who adds, “our airports are open and welcoming flights from around the world. Tours and attractions, including the iconic Dunn’s River Falls, Negril’s famed Seven Mile Beach and Mystic Mountain for fans of Jamaican bobsledding, are all ready and waiting for you.”
Ahead of Saturday’s reopening, SRI hosted nearly 400 travel advisors and industry partners for a preview of Jamaica. The special “Back to Jamaica” immersion event, held at Sandals Dunn’s River in Ocho Rios, was an opportunity for these influential partners to experience Jamaica as she is: ready to welcome visitors. “Seeing is believing,” the SRI boss remarks, saying, “nothing beats the real thing, putting your toes in the sand, tasting the food, feeling the sunshine on your face. Only a genuine experience can offer confidence like that.”
Family-run and founded in Jamaica in 1981, Sandals Resorts has deep roots in its home country, where Stewart celebrated the opening of these hotels. “Our guests love this island, and when they come back, they’ll feel that same magic the moment they arrive. Jamaica is ready to welcome them home,” Stewart trumpeted in a news release issued on the weekend.
SRI offers some of the best adults-only all-inclusive resorts that bring guests closer to the vibrancy, authenticity and spirit of the Caribbean. Pioneers of the all-inclusive vacation experience in the region, Sandals has 17 beachfront all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Saint Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, Curaçao, Grenada, and Saint Vincent and The Grenadines, each reflecting the genuine vibe of its island home.
Of note, Sandals isn’t the only hotel and resort company reopening properties in Jamaica. Others like Round Hill Hotel & Villas, a 4.5-star luxury property in Montego Bay, have also reopened.
As Jamaica moves forward from recovering from Melissa, Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett, has highlighted that visitors returning to the island for their usual winter vacations will play a powerful role in supporting local communities and the Island’s vibrant recovery.
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