The executive chairman of Sandals Resorts International reveals what agents can expect as part of a "game-changer" US$200 million re-imagination of three iconic Jamaica resorts
Back in March, Sandals Resorts International (SRI) announced that clients would have to wait a little bit longer to experience three of its iconic Jamaican resorts: Sandals Montego Bay, Sandals Royal Caribbean and Sandals South Coast.
While five of its resorts in Jamaica quickly reopened following the impact of Hurricane Melissa, the three remaining properties are now undergoing a major US$200 million investment, marking a comprehensive Sandals 2.0 transformation.
“Jamaica is 156 miles wide and the cone was 10 miles wide so where it got hit, it got hit hard,” Adam Stewart, executive chairman, SRI, told Travel Courier, noting that Negril, Port Antonio, Kingston, and Ocho Rios were relatively fine. “The South Coast, with Sandals South Coast, got hit quite hard, and Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Royal Caribbean, so we made the decision, and I’ve been apologizing to any of our customer base that were disrupted, but we would never have gotten the opportunity to do what we’re doing. We’re not just bringing our resorts back, you will not recognize these resorts when they come back. They’re going to be completely 2.0 like Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. So that linear pool is being put into Sandals Royal Caribbean, which is going to be unbelievable.”
Notably, he aded that all the rooms at Sandals Montego Bay are being redone.
“Then we’re putting in several new pools, a beach club,” he added. “We’re spending US$200 million on three resorts that were already phenomenal before. I cannot wait to bring them back to market. And we’re very much on time.”
Sandals South Coast is set to reopen on Nov.18, 2026, followed by both Sandals Royal Caribbean and Sandals Montego Bay on Dec.18, 2026.
“There’s a lot going into this. MoBay was our first resort. Royal Caribbean was our second resort. Sandals South Coast was the first resort we ever built from the ground up so there’s a huge amount of legacy here. We’re doing what no one else is doing in Jamaica. Everyone is sort of bringing their hotels back, Sandals is just going to change the game again. These are going to be completely 2.0–it will be a lot like Sandals Dunn’s River but even more elevated.”
Adam Stewart during a recent one-on-one interview with Travel Courier
