UK Volume 22

uk.superbrands.com Superbrands UK Vol. 22 By offering luxury, innovation and choice, Sandals and Beaches Resorts have been at the forefront of the Caribbean all-inclusive travel sector for 40 years. In an industry brimming with new contenders, the combined knowledge and experience of Sandals’ management team and resort staff has maintained its market-leading position Market Along the white-sand shores of Jamaica 40 years ago, a visionary with a passion to share his beautiful home with the world introduced the Luxury Included ® holiday. Sandals Resorts sets itself apart by steering away from off-the-shelf all-inclusive package holidays, placing an emphasis on personal choice, and offering customers more for the price of their holiday. Sandals Resorts’ holidays include cuisine at multiple 5-Star Global Gourmet ™ speciality restaurants at each resort, unlimited premium brand alcoholic and non- alcoholic drinks, gratuities, and on-island airport transfers, as well as complimentary land and water sports such as golf and scuba diving for PADI certified divers. There are 16 Sandals Resorts created exclusively for ‘two people in love’ located in Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Antigua, the Bahamas, Grenada, Barbados and Curaçao (opening Spring 2022). Its sister brand, Beaches Resorts, comprises three resorts in Jamaica and Turks & Caicos, catering for families, groups and couples. Product Sandals Resorts International has been an innovator in the luxury all-inclusive market for the last four decades, starting with introducing the first swim up pool bars in the Caribbean in 1984 and being the first resort Company in the region to provide hairdryers in guest bedrooms in 1987. More recently, the Company launched the Caribbean’s first Over the Water Maldivian-style suites in Jamaica at Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort & Private Island in 2016, with more Over the Water additions at resorts in Jamaica and St Lucia thereafter. In 2019, Sandals Resorts completed a multi- million-dollar renovation of the Company’s flagship resort, Sandals Montego Bay, including refurbished suites, a new Over the Water bar, and an Over the Water wedding chapel with a glass-bottomed aisle. Extensive renovations also took place at Sandals South Coast in Jamaica, with the addition of the world’s first-ever Swim-up Rondoval ™ Suites and re-design of the Dutch Village, including Sandals first-ever luxury level rooms with beachfront views. In 2021, plans were shared to open three new resorts in Jamaica, Sandals Dunn’s River, Sandals Royal Dunn’s River and Beaches Runaway Bay. Drawing inspiration from the local flora, rivers and natural landscapes, these all-new resorts will feature innovative designs including Sandals’ Signature Firsts in Jamaica. More recently, Sandals announced renovations in the Bahamas and the Company’s first venture into Curaçao, Sandals Royal Curaçao, set to open in Spring 2022. Sandals Royal Curaçao, will have more all-inclusive luxury options than ever before including two new signature suite categories, the Awa Seaside Butler Bungalows and Kurason Island Poolside Butler Bungalows complete with complimentary convertible MINI Coopers to explore the island. The resort will also be home to Sandals’ first two-level infinity pool and first-ever floating restaurant and bar. Sandals Resorts announced even more multi- million-dollar renovations to Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island, in Nassau including new beachfront swim-up suites, a reimagined exclusive offshore island, the Coconut Grove beach lounge, 13 exciting dining options from French delicacies to Caribbean dishes and three new food trucks. The newly renovated resort is set to start welcoming guests from January 2022. Achievements Sandals Resorts International was awarded 12 gongs at the prestigious 2021 World Travel Awards including the Caribbean’s Leading Hotel Brand, the Caribbean’s Leading All-Inclusive Family Resort, for Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa and the Caribbean’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort for Sandals Royal Barbados. In honour of the brand’s 40th anniversary, Sandals Resorts announced several projects including The Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart International School of Hospitality and Tourism. The school will be based in Jamaica and will develop the next generation of international tourism and hospitality leaders. Sandals Resorts, together with the Sandals Foundation, is identifying 40 projects that best showcase the link between tourism and its power to transform Caribbean communities and improve lives, as part of the ‘40 for 40’ charity initiative. Plus, the introduction of Sandals’ first-ever podcast, the ‘Sandals PalmCast’ gives listeners the inside scoop on all the latest happenings across the resorts to help celebrate the Company’s 40-year milestone. Sandals Resorts’ philanthropic arm, The Sandals Foundation, celebrated its 12th anniversary in 2021. The organisation aims to unite the region with one common goal: to elevate its people and protect its delicate ecosystem under the pillars of community, education, and the environment. There are up to 16 restaurants per Sandals Resort and up to 21 eateries at each Beaches Resort, all unlimited and included in the price of a holiday DID YOU KNOW?