New Beaches resort set to open in Saint Vincent & The Grenadines: Stewart

Sandals Resorts International (SRI) will open a new Beaches resort in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) as it expands its footprint in the Eastern Caribbean destination, says the company’s Executive Chairman Adam Stewart.

Mr. Stewart spoke publicly about the project for the first time yesterday (on Travel Advisor Day, no less) during a keynote address at Trevello’s 2025 “Momentum” conference, which is currently taking place at Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

“We’re going to continue to build our company into what we call Sandals-Beaches 2.0,” said Stewart, standing on a stage, addressing a ballroom of nearly 200 travel professionals.

The new, family-friendly, all-inclusive property will be SRI’s second in Saint Vincent. Sandals opened its first resort in the unspoiled destination last year, unveiling 301 rooms and suites across 50 lush acres.

READ MORE: On Location: Trevello tweaks logo & branding; Gedeon talks sales, tariffs & "new normal"

Adults-only Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, with a 300-foot linear pool, introduced many “firsts,” including a new restaurant concept, called “Buccan,” as well as the “Vincy Overwater Two-Story Villas,” which feature expansive spaces spanning two storeys above the sea.

There are plans to add some 20 to 30 rooms to the all-inclusive property, with estimated construction costs nearing US$30 million, reports say.

The rumours are true

The new Beaches resort, however, confirms an expansion project that had previously only been the subject of speculation.

Rumours of a second Sandals-run property began swirling in February after a social media post by SVG’s Finance Minister Camilo Gonsalves’ showed him pictured alongside Terence Des Vignes in what appears to be a location of the unfinished resort.

READ MORE: Sandals mulling second resort in St. Vincent: report

Des Vignes, notably, is Sandals Resorts International’s regional project manager.

In a post to his Facebook page, Gonsalves’ wrote: “I was once told that deals are done in conference rooms and on golf courses. I find that I work better on beaches, boats, bush and barefoot. This one might be big…”

In March, at a Sandals and Beaches event in New York City, PAX asked Stewart about adding a second property in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

“Sometimes the rumours are true,” Stewart hinted at the time.

Demand for Saint Vincent grows

It seems they are—if yesterday’s confirmation is any indication. Opening a Beaches in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines sounds like a winning move on Sandals part.

Stewart expressed his confidence in Sandals' future in Saint Vincent, noting that business is thriving there, and that response from guests has exceeded expectations.

Sandals is also going all out to ensure its product is the best it can be on the island.

VIDEO: Sandals’ Adam Stewart celebrates Travel Advisor Day with Trevello in Jamaica

“The government asked us to build a hotel and spend $100 million – we spent $350 million,” Stewart told conference attendees.

He discussed how Saint Vincent evolved from being a relatively obscure destination to gaining widespread recognition, largely due to the introduction of an international runway in 2017.

“Google search demand for Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, year over year, is up 88 per cent,” he said. “Air lift is up 300 per cent, overall.”

The local economy there is also “roaring” due to what Stewart calls “the Sandals effect.”

“What that means is that Sandals goes in, plants its flag, and the airlines come,” he said.

He painted of picture of what that looks like.

For instance: American Airlines, out of Florida, began flying twice a week to Argyle International Airport in Saint Vincent in March last year when the Sandals property opened.

“By April, 30 days later, they flew four times a week. By October, they flew daily. By December, they flew daily and added two flights out of Charlotte,” Stewart said.

JetBlue then added flights to Saint Vincent out of JFK in New York. Then Delta and Virgin Atlantic joined the mix.

North of the border, Air Canada offers non-stop service to Saint Vincent out of Toronto Pearson.

“It means more customers can get [to Saint Vincent] more conveniently,” Stewart said.

With a new Beaches resort on the way, Sandals is "just warming up" as it passes its first-year anniversary in Saint Vincent, Stewart said.

Beaches is having a moment

While information on Beaches Saint Vincent is limited, it fits within the company’s broader strategy to expand its family-oriented brand.

As previously reported, Beaches is having a moment as SRI plans to invest nearly US$1 billion in the expansion of Beaches, doubling its footprint within the next five years.

There’s the addition of a new Treasure Beach Village at Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort, for one. The US$150 million-dollar expansion, spanning 100 acres of beachfront, aims to elevate Beaches’ overall key count to 858 and marks the sixth village addition to the Beaches Turks and Caicos property.

Beaches is also coming to Barbados. The 600-room property on the island’s west coast will “be the best of what we’ve ever done,” Stewart told PAX previously.

This project, located in Saint Peter parish, is expected to take about two and a half years to complete, marking Sandals’ third hotel resort in Barbados.

Then over to Jamaica, where there will be two projects –a Beaches at Runway Bay, as well as an expansion at Beaches Negril. 

Beaches Runaway Bay will feature an estimated 400 expansive one, two, three and four-bedroom suites and villas, designed with extended families in mind.

Beaches Negril is where the new three-story Firesky Reserve Villas will welcome families of up to 10, complete with four bedrooms, living areas, a private pool and more – all steps from the sand.

There will also be an Eventide Penthouse Collection, welcoming up to 16 guests with access to a rooftop terrace.

And then finally, Beaches Exuma in the Bahamas, a project set upon 500 acres (and a takeover of Sandals Emerald Bay) that is set to open in late 2025.

Beaches Ocho Rios, meanwhile, will close on May 31, 2025, to undergo major renovations by its third-party owners. The future of the resort is uncertain, but Sandals says a continued relationship with the property’s owners could be possible. 

Expansion at Sandals

On the Sandals side, an expansion to Sandals Dunn’s River is coming. It will be “new hotel, directly beside it, with 260 more rooms,” Stewart said yesterday. A new hotel, with 250 additional rooms, is also coming to Sandals Grande St. Lucian.

“You don't have enough time for me to keep going through the projects. There’s so much to say,” Stewart told Trevello advisors yesterday. “But we believe in this region, [the Caribbean], and we're going to keep building products that you will earn the highest commissions on of any brand anywhere.”

Sandals and Beaches will “keep branding,” Stewart said, noting that his hotels have an 81 per cent unaided brand recognition.

“Or, said another way, the Sandals brand is four-times more powerful than the next most powerful brand in the all-inclusive space,” he said.

Stewart also touched on corporate responsibility, noting that Sandals employees, since 1983, have received comprehensive benefits—including medical, dental, a pension plan, and free training.

A partnership between Sandals and Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) has also been formed to train more Caribbean nationals, Stewart said.

“We recognize we're on a roll. There's a lot happening,” Stewart said. “But anytime you get confused, with all of the different things in life, just walk out to the ocean out there, centre yourself, and look around. You're so much bigger than just being a travel advisor, or being a part of this incredible team and company. You are changing lives. You are giving people the opportunity and chance to have the best vacation they can have anywhere in the world.”

“And lord knows we all need a holiday, right? Even those of us that sell holidays need a holiday to recover from selling the holiday.”

Stewart went on to thank the travel trade for everything that they do, adding that he has “never felt better about the Caribbean.”

“The geopolitical friendship that has existed between the Caribbean and Canada has never been stronger,” he said.

Trevello gets the Sandals treatment

It was an exciting update for travel advisors and suppliers attending Trevello’s conference, which PAX has been covering exclusively this week.

The event, which has featured various workshop, training sessions and one-to-one meetings with suppliers, ends tomorrow (May 9).  

Keeping with the Sandals theme on Travel Advisor Day, conference attendees were treated to an off-site dinner last night (May 7) on the beach of Sandals Montego Bay – the brand’s flagship property that opened 44 years ago.

Attendees dove into a sprawling buffet of Jamaican food while spotlights, Caribbean beats, and performers brought the vibrant island spirit to life all around them.

Trevello’s President and CEO, Zeina Gedeon, has a special relationship with Sandals and the Stewart family.

She was a close friend and colleague of Sandals’ founder, the late, great Gordon "Butch" Stewart, and has played an influential role in building business in the Caribbean.

“From her days at Air Canada Vacations, to being the leader of Trevello, [Zeina] has overdelivered as a friend to the Caribbean,’ Stewart later told PAX in a video interview.

Gedeon says Sandals is “so much more than a resort—it’s a family, a community, and a reflection of the Caribbean spirit.”

Her journey with Sandals began more than 20 years ago with Gordon 'Butch' Stewart.

“It was a relationship founded on mutual trust, shared vision, and an unwavering commitment to the growth and prosperity of both Canada and the Caribbean,” Gedeon told PAX.

Under the “dynamic leadership of Adam Stewart,” Sandals is now “embarking on a new chapter—Sandals 2.0.,” Gedeon added.

“With each passing day, the experience only continues to improve, as innovation and evolution take center stage while staying true to its roots,” she said. “Our collaboration has only grown stronger with time, and I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this exciting journey that celebrates the best of what the Sandals and Beaches has to offer.”

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