Royalton Negril reopens, restoring 960 jobs in Jamaica

Royalton Negril has reopened its doors following an extensive post-hurricane restoration, returning 573 rooms to Jamaica’s hotel inventory and bringing 960 employees back to work.

The resort resumed operations on Aug. 25 after undergoing repairs and upgrades in the wake of Hurricane Melissa, marking another milestone in the recovery of Jamaica’s tourism industry.

More Royalton properties are set to follow. Royalton Blue Waters and Hideaway at Royalton Blue Waters are scheduled to reopen Sept. 15, collectively restoring another 578 rooms and approximately 1,200 jobs.

Once all three properties are operating again, Royalton will have returned 1,151 rooms to Jamaica’s tourism inventory and more than 2,100 employees to work.

Jamaica’s Tourism Ministry says Royalton Negril’s return is part of a broader, phased strategy to safely rebuild hotel capacity, get tourism workers back on the job and restore traveller confidence.

Approximately 80,000 hotel workers across Jamaica’s tourism industry have already returned to work, while roughly 5,648 hotel rooms were scheduled to come back online throughout 2026.

“The return of Royalton Negril strengthens the recovery of Jamaica’s vital tourism sector while restoring hundreds of livelihoods and renewing economic activity across Negril and surrounding communities,” Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said in a statement.

“The reopening comes as hotels across the island continue to return to service, with additional properties scheduled to reopen in the months ahead and reinforces our resilience,” he added.

Bartlett pointed to collaboration across Jamaica’s tourism industry as an important part of the recovery.

“This demonstrates what is possible when the public and private sectors, tourism partners and communities work together toward recovery,” he said. “It means real income and a return to the livelihoods of our most treasured asset — our people. It means visitor spending and supporting businesses and communities throughout the tourism value chain — from transportation and attractions to agriculture, entertainment and small and medium-sized enterprises.”

Jamaica’s hotel inventory is expected to continue growing in the months ahead, with several other resorts slated to resume operations later this year.

Those include SeaGarden Beach Resort, Zoëtry Montego Bay Jamaica, Sandals South Coast, Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Royal Caribbean.

Tourism Director Donovan White said the growing inventory will give Jamaica more product to promote in international markets.

“These reopenings are expected to progressively restore room capacity and provide more for us to market globally,” White stated. “It is a significant move that will support our value proposition to attract more visitors.”

Royalton’s restoration work included investments in infrastructure, accommodations and guest experiences ahead of the reopening.

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