TORONTO — Sandals and Beaches Resorts are reassuring travel advisors that it’s business as usual following Royal Caribbean Group’s US$3-billion acquisition of a 50% stake in the Caribbean resort company, while pointing to the partnership as an opportunity to accelerate growth.

The deal, as reported by Travelweek earlier this week, is expected to close in early 2027, subject to customary approvals and closing conditions. The new 50/50 joint venture brings together Sandals and Beaches’ all-inclusive resort expertise with Royal Caribbean Group’s vacation portfolio, including Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea, as well as private island destinations and river cruising.

Travelweek spoke with Sandals and Unique Vacations executives last night at an intimate Sandals trade event at The Vue in Etobicoke, where the focus was on meetings and incentive groups at Sandals Dunn’s River. Both CJ Smith, Director of Sales, Canada for Unique Vacations (Canada) Inc., an affiliate of Unique Travel Corp., the worldwide representatives of Sandals & Beaches Resorts, and Carnel Smith, Director of Sales, Groups and Conventions at Sandals Dunn’s River, stressed that existing reservations, loyalty programs and resort operations will continue as usual.

For Smith, who has been with the Sandals brand in some capacity for 25 years, the announcement marks an exciting new chapter for the company, with more details expected to emerge ahead of the transaction’s expected closing in early 2027.

“It’s going to be an exciting ride – so be prepared,” Smith told Travelweek.

He added that Executive Chairman Adam Stewart, who will remain in his role, doubled down on the following message during a town hall meeting with Sandals and Beaches staff following the announcement: “Nothing changes at this point. He has made it very clear: we are business as usual. It’s just that we have some exciting news that we’re sharing right now, and it’s going to be an exciting time.”

Carnel Smith reinforced that message, telling Travelweek that “Sandals remains Sandals, Beaches remains Beaches.” He also said the deal presents an opportunity to move faster on the company’s growth plans, pointing to the upcoming Beaches Exuma as an example and noting that the partnership could give Sandals and Beaches the opportunity to accelerate that growth.

“The plan is to keep introducing new resorts to our portfolio. This deal simply gives us the opportunity to move a little bit faster,” he said. “This is a growth opportunity for Sandals and Beaches Resort, and most importantly, it’s a growth opportunity for all the team members who are affiliated with the brands.”

From l-r: Carnel Smith; Latitude Concierge Travel’s Shalene Dudley; Celebration Events’ Adeola Fowodo; and Unique Vacations Inc. Canada’s Omar Josephs

LASTING LEGACIES: “THE HOUSE THAT BUTCH BUILT”

When asked what Sandals Resorts founder and former Chairman Gordon “Butch” Stewart, who passed away in 2021, would have thought of the blockbuster deal, CJ Smith became emotional. 

“Having spent 25 years with the brand, I was lucky enough to have been quite familiar with our late Chairman,” he told Travelweek. ““He was always very clear about what he believed the brand should be – the people and the culture of the islands have always been at the company’s core. And after 45 years, there’s a vision to take the house that Butch built to the world.

“Taking that vision to the far reaches of the world doesn’t change anything about what’s important to the brands. This is just an opportunity to bring Sandals and Beaches to the next level.”

For a company that has built its reputation on being proudly Jamaican and Caribbean, skeptics may question whether partnering with a global cruise company could dilute the brand’s strong Caribbean identity. But Carnel Smith isn’t worried, pointing to the younger Stewart’s own commitment to the Caribbean.

“The Caribbean means so much to us as a brand, and especially our executive chairman. It means a lot to us, and we are more about bringing the Caribbean to the wider world.”

He added that the authentic Caribbean experience will continue to be central to Sandals and Beaches as the brands expand.

“Wherever we go, the Caribbean will come with us,” he said. “That authentic Caribbean experience will continue to thrive with Sandals and Beaches.”

ADVISOR REACTION: “WE JUST DON’T KNOW YET”

For Shalene Dudley of Latitude Concierge Travels, who previously served on the Sandals Travel Advisor Board from 2020-2024, the connection between a major cruise company and a resort brand is not entirely surprising. 

“Many hotel brands look to other market segments to track trends and make projections.  So this is not extremely shocking to me.  I just didn’t expect a partnership like this to come to fruition,” she told Travelweek.

Dudley said that she sees a natural fit between Royal Caribbean Group and Sandals, particularly given the overlap in clientele and price points, but said advisors still have more questions than answers about how the partnership will actually work.

“We haven’t really gotten any details about how or what the deal actually entails,” she told Travelweek. “We don’t know if it’s a point system or if it’s a loyalty program. We don’t know if they’re partnering on new properties.”

She expects more information to emerge as the partnership moves forward, saying the company often takes a phased approach when announcing major developments.

Right now, her biggest concern as an advisor is capacity, particularly at Beaches, where demand is already strong.

“I always worry about space because Beaches is so popular – it’s always full,” she said. “With this deal, they’re introducing a whole new client. Does this mean that they’re infusing money towards a million more Beaches? That would be amazing.”

At the same time, she sees an opportunity for advisors who sell both cruises and resorts to become more familiar with the two brands and potentially cross-sell them.

“It’ll definitely be an opportunity for people like me to go learn the product,” she said, adding that the price points of the two brands are fairly similar.

Dudley also sees potential for future resort development in destinations where Royal Caribbean already has a strong presence, although she acknowledged that any such expansion would be further down the road.

“I don’t sell a lot of Royal Caribbean but I’m assuming they probably have ports in places where Sandals and Beaches already are,” she said. “Maybe they’re strategically planning to have more properties near where there would already be a Royal Caribbean guest.”

For now, however, she said the immediate impact on advisors remains unclear.

“We just don’t know yet,” she said.

Sandals handed out gift bags to winners Lanie Collins (far left), Jonathan Hickey and Jennifer Gaskell

DUNN’S RIVER ADDS TO GROUPS OFFERINGS

Sandals Dunn’s River is positioning itself as a stronger option for groups with the addition of the Louis Grant Conference Center. The 8,000-square-foot facility can accommodate up to 500 guests and features a 5,396-square-foot main venue that can be divided into three ballrooms, plus two boardrooms and two pre-function areas.

“We saw the potential in the MICE market, so we decided to add the conference center, which positions Sandals Dunn’s River perfectly in that market segment,” said Carnel Smith, director of sales, groups and conventions at Sandals Dunn’s River.

The resort has already hosted a 350-person incentive group in the new space, while larger wedding groups are also coming through. For groups booking 10 or more rooms, concessions include a cocktail reception and private dinner, while the resort’s dining-around programme allows groups to reserve restaurant space in advance.

Dunn’s River also has a range of outdoor event venues, including beach and garden spaces, an oceanfront terrace, Kayama Pavilion and Ocarina Rooftop Bar. The 260-room resort has 12 dining options and nine bars.

THREE JAMAICA RESORTS SET TO OPEN

Sandals is also preparing to welcome guests back to three Jamaica resorts following major renovations and reimagination projects post-Hurricane Melissa. Sandals South Coast is scheduled to reopen Nov. 18, 2026, followed by Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Caribbean Cay, formerly Sandals Royal Caribbean, on Dec. 18.

The three resorts are part of a US$200-million investment that will bring refreshed accommodations, dining and public spaces across the properties. For advisors selling to families and groups, one notable addition at Sandals South Coast is new Beachfront Club Two Queen Junior Suites, providing two queen beds in the room.

Sandals Montego Bay will return with 255 rooms, a redesigned main pool and new dining concepts, while Sandals Caribbean Cay will add 84 rooms, bringing its total to 291, along with new SkyPool Suites, Swim-up Suites and Oceanview Butler Suites.

Lead image caption: CJ Smith, Director of Sales, Canada for Unique Vacations (Canada) Inc. (left), and Carnel Smith, Director of Sales, Groups and Conventions at Sandals Dunn’s River at last night’s trade event in Etobicoke, ON