TORONTO — Here’s some welcome good news, from all-inclusive luxury pioneer Sandals Resorts.
The company has announced it will open a new Beaches Resorts property in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
This is the eighth island in the Caribbean for the brand, and a new destination.
For the development Sandals Resorts International has acquired Buccament Bay Spa and Resort, closed since 2016. The property will be “completely transformed” to become the fourth Beaches Resorts property within the portfolio. There are currently Beaches Resorts in Jamaica and Turks & Caicos.
“Investing in St. Vincent and its captivating people, was not only compelling, but a natural next step for continued expansion within the Eastern Caribbean,” says SRI Founder and Chairman, the Hon. Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart.
“Beginning with our first entry in Saint Lucia many years ago and more recently Grenada and Barbados, we are champions of growth for the Eastern Caribbean, and it has remained at the forefront of our expansion strategy,” said Stewart. “Expanding into a brand-new destination ushers in the tremendous opportunity for new and existing team members to experience a whole new way of life and professional growth path.”
Stewart adds that “the minute our customers land in St. Vincent, they will be enchanted with its magnificence. The resort hugs the Caribbean Sea and is nestled within a lush mountain range and neighboring rainforest. Best of all, it’s only a short drive from the newly constructed Argyle International Airport.”
The agreement has been in the works for nearly a year.
Adam Stewart, Deputy Chairman of Sandals Resorts International, says the property will undergo extensive reimagination and renovations. “Each time we expand, we bring with us the full potential of our 40 years in hospitality with the creation of new jobs and skillsets through our Corporate University, the on-the-ground work of our Sandals Foundation, the dedicated airlift and comprehensive global marketing campaigns that always follow. As we look to the future, this growth stands for tremendous possibility,” he says.
Glen Beache, Chief Executive Officer of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority, confirmed in a recent Facebook Live forum that St. Vincent and the Grenadines has started its reopening process, and is now in Phase 1. Beache has been hinting at new resort developments for the destination for several years. Interest in the Caribbean destination, always something of an off-the-beaten-track gem, has ramped up since the debut of the new Argyle International Airport. Open since February 2017, the airport is part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ years-long plan to attract international flights and – slowly but surely – boost its status as a tourism hotspot.