Article by Ainsworth Morris 

With the first anniversary since the passing of Hurricane Beryl on the horizon, at least one hotelier, Jason Henzell, is excited that the parish of St Elizabeth has largely recovered before the dreadful date returns. 

Beryl, the earliest Category 5 Atlantic hurricane on record, impacted Jamaica last July, devastating the breadbasket parish of St. Elizabeth with neighbouring Westmoreland among area most severely damaged.

Some areas of these parishes reportedly went some 36 days without electricity as a result. 

While speaking at the launch of the biennial Calabash International Literary Festival for 2025, which was held on the lawns of Devon House in St. Andrew last Wednesday (April 23), Henzell expressed his excitement and gratitude towards the Jamaicans, the Diaspora and others who went to the aid of those who lost, especially the farmers, following the passage of Beryl. 

“It’s been rough, but Jamaica runs on relationships, and to see what happened on that morning after July 3, it really gives testament to the strength of community tourism. To have raised that money, through small, medium and large donors, that means so much to me,” Henzell said during his address as a sponsor of the upcoming festival, which will be held at Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth, between May 23 and 25.

“There were fundraisers that were done for us in jazz clubs in New Orleans, on vineyards in Cape Cod, in marathons in Berlin, in walkathons in London, in pickleball and squash tournaments right here in Kingston, and sometimes you don’t know what something means until you almost lose it,” the hotelier, chairman of Jakes Hotel Treasure Beach and founder of Breds Foundation Treasure Beach, said.

Henzell said that with the upcoming Calabash festival, he is elated that the parish has recovered from the hurricane, so that the organisers of the biennial event can host this year. 

“Calabash has been such a catalyst for growth, particularly for the Airbnb and smaller accommodations in Treasure Beach. My phone has been ringing off the hook [with the question] ‘Where can we stay?’,” Henzell said.  

He reflected on the fact that his family history dates back to Treasure Beach in 1941 when his grandparents started the hotel business after building a modest two-bedroom cottage called Treasure Cut, which has blossomed into the present Jakes Hotel Treasure Beach. 

Smith noted that the Calabash event, over the years, has produced many of the greatest literary achievers.

He said at the Putnam Cottage in Treasure Beach, which was owned by the Putnam family – one of the largest literary publishing companies in the world – and his own family history with their Harder They Come novel, they have not just contributed to the development of Jamaica’s creative industry, but also the hotel industry at large.

Henzell also noted that the parish and more so the Jakes Hotel Treasure Beach has been a contributor to the literary industry, for example, with Alex Haley, who wrote his 1976 novel ‘Roots: The Saga of an American Family‘.