Sandals announces $200M reimagination of three Jamaican resorts

Sandals Resorts International (SRI) has announced a US$200 million investment to reimagine three Jamaican resorts – Sandals Montego Bay, Sandals Royal Caribbean, and Sandals South Coast – that were impacted by Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, last fall.

As reported, Sandals reopened five of its eight Jamaica properties in December 2025 with Montego Bay, Royal Caribbean, and South Coast remaining closed for assessment.

As restoration efforts have advanced on the three resorts, the company has identified an opportunity to undertake a more comprehensive transformation aligned with its Sandals 2.0 vision.

As a result, Sandals South Coast will reopen on November 18, 2026, followed by both Sandals Royal Caribbean and Sandals Montego Bay on December 18, 2026.

“The opportunity to completely reimagine three resorts at this scale, with full focus and without compromising the guest experience, is extraordinarily rare,” said Adam Stewart, executive chairman of Sandals Resorts International, in a press release.

“With our doors closed, we were given something we almost never have in hospitality, a true blank canvas and having that clarity changed everything. We spent time walking the properties, speaking with our team and thinking about our guests. At a pivotal moment, it became clear: we shouldn’t simply restore what was there. We should dream bigger. When we welcome our guests back, they’ll see the transformation and they’ll feel exactly why we chose to use this moment to create something worthy of their loyalty.”

This reimagining will unfold across many aspects of the guest experience, from new arrival moments overlooking the Caribbean Sea to new accommodation categories, redesigned pools, and refreshed lounge and social spaces -- all while preserving the sense of place and unmistakable spirit guests have come to know and love about these iconic properties.

Culinary offerings will also expand with the introduction of new dining concepts and bar experiences across each resort.

SRI further emphasized that all other resorts in Jamaica continue to operate and welcome guests, including Sandals Royal Plantation, Sandals Ochi, Sandals Dunn’s River, Sandals Negril, and Beaches Negril.

“People are going to be blown away”

Sandals South Coast’s General Manager O’Brian Heron was recently in Toronto to meet with the trade and share some post-hurricane details about the property, which was a favourite among Canadians.

“We lost quite a bit of landscaping, but the physical structure of our buildings remains fully intact,” Heron told PAX last week. “What’s amazing is that our overwater bungalows, which we remodelled last year, are still standing.”

“We have some interior work that we need to do, but the resort stands firm.”

Other external spaces that were damaged include the property’s chapel, and some walkways, which “we can recover quickly,” he said.

If anything, the repairs have accelerated a number of projects that were slated for Sandals South Coast in the coming years.

“A lot of what you've seen at newer resorts, from a food and beverage and amenity perspective, will be implemented,” said Heron

In other words, the property will embody a “Sandals 2.0” standard, the company’s term for next-generation resorts, unveiling redesigned rooms, upgraded dining, reworked public spaces and a renewed commitment to sustainability.

“We’re going to elevate the experience and make Sandals South Coast the 2.0 that it deserves to be,” Heron said.

When the property reopens, “people are going to be blown away,” he added.

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