TORONTO — “Never waste a good crisis” — a favourite catchphrase of Sandals Resorts International’s late founder and chairman Gordon “Butch” Stewart — has become something of a mantra at Sandals South Coast following last year’s Hurricane Melissa.

The resort was hit hard by the Category 5 storm when it made landfall on Jamaica’s south coast on Oct. 28, 2025. It has been closed ever since, along with Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Royal Caribbean, with all three scheduled to reopen on May 31, 2026. 

But in the spirit of Mr. Stewart’s famous motto, Sandals South Coast – the number one Sandals property booked by Canadians – is using the opportunity to not only rebuild and restore what was damaged by Melissa, but to come back better, more stylish and more aligned with the brand’s ‘Sandals 2.0’ refurbishment plan unveiled in May 2024 by Adam Stewart, Executive Chairman of Sandals Resorts International. 

Speaking with Travelweek yesterday, March 11, at an intimate travel advisor mixer in Toronto, O’Brian Heron, general manager of Sandals South Coast and 1st vice-president of the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association, said that despite the storm’s devastating impact, the closure has allowed the resort to accelerate its 2.0 plans. 

“We have been working on becoming 2.0 for the last few years, starting about four years ago with a remodel of every single room. What we’re doing now is bringing forward all the work that we had planned for the next three years. We’re not happy to be closed but we’re grateful for what’s to come,” said Heron.

When asked what specific enhancements are being made ahead of the resort’s reopening, Heron said guests can expect many of the brand’s newest concepts.

“All I can say is that it will be a lot of the Sandals 2.0 facilities, food and beverage concepts and amenities. We’re doing a combination of restoration and renovation. Melissa proved that our resort was built to last – structurally, our buildings held up, including the overwater villas that we redid in 2025. There was some interior and roof damage, which we’re working on now. But when we reopen, I promise the resort will blow every single person’s mind.”  

JAMAICA TOURISM REBOUNDS

Hurricane Melissa made landfall along Jamaica’s southwest coast, one of the areas hardest hit by the storm, before exiting the island to the north. However, large parts of the destination saw minimal damage.

“Jamaica is a small but big island,” said Heron. “The major impact areas were really along the South Coast, Montego Bay and Trelawny. When I travelled to St. Ann three weeks after the storm, I could see no indication that there had been a storm.”

Heron also saw firsthand as vice-president of the JHTA how hotels across the island moved quickly to clean up and reopen, with the government and tourism sector working together to restore operations and ensure supplies remained available. 

“Everything on the island is operating from a pre-Melissa perspective, with service levels just as high. The hotels that have reopened have done so with 100% of their operations intact. Sandals itself reopened five of its eight Jamaica properties by December 2025. There are no issues with food and beverage supplies. Agriculture was affected but we have been able to import everything that’s needed for all hotels, including non-Sandals properties,” said Heron.

Travel advisors at yesterday’s event echoed Heron’s assessment. Handpicked by Sandals business development managers to attend, each advisor was invited to bring a client, many of whom are repeat Sandals guests. 

“My bookings to Jamaica have been very positive. I just had clients travel to Montego Bay and they said everything was fine – they loved it,” Josie MacNeal, an advisor with Woodbridge-based Cianfarani, told Travelweek. “I haven’t had to convince any of my clients to book Jamaica, they have full confidence in the destination.”

Momentum for Jamaica is being seen across the Canadian trade, with advisors, consortia and tour operators telling Travelweek last month that bookings are rebounding and traveller confidence is on the upswing. 

SUPPORTING STAFF AND COMMUNITIES

Leadership matters, as Sandals has proven in the aftermath of Melissa. 

Just days after the storm struck, Heron said executive chairman Adam Stewart travelled to Sandals South Coast to meet with staff and launch several support initiatives. 

“He made the decision that we were going to give every staff member care packages and an advance payment so they could start rebuilding their lives immediately. He also approved my request for building materials to rebuild the homes of every staff member whose house was damaged by the hurricane,” said Heron.

Employees have also continued to receive full salaries while the resort remains closed.

“The hotel is closed and there’s no income coming in, but the company made the decision that payroll would continue until we reopen,” he added. “That is significant, and there’s no other company that has done that for their team members. We’ve shown up for our staff in the way only an authentic Caribbean company – a Jamaican company – will, because we are Caribbean. We are Jamaica.”

The Sandals Foundation has also played a major role in recovery efforts across the island. According to Heron, the organization helped coordinate emergency relief, food distribution and infrastructure restoration in heavily affected communities. 

“Through the foundation, Sandals South Coast hosted an organization called Mercy Chefs, which produced 400,000 meals over the last four months to communities heavily impacted along the South Coast. The foundation also worked with Canadian-owned Greystone Utility to fully restore electricity across the island,” said Heron.

The foundation’s efforts have also extended to local hospitals and schools across the region.

“We’ve focused heavily on helping hospitals get equipment that was lost in the storm as well as rebuilding schools. At the Culloden school, for example, we helped bring in three trailer classrooms, a spearhead project by the YellowBird Foundation. Just last week the Ministry of Education presented the Sandals Foundation with an award recognizing the work we’ve done to get schools back online,” said Heron.

Maureen Barnes-Smith, vice-president of sales and marketing for Unique Vacations Canada, thanked the Canadian travel trade for their support following Hurricane Melissa. Through generous donations, the Sandals Foundation in Canada raised $250,000. Additional initiatives, including Air Canada Vacations’ fundraiser in which $5 from every passenger booked was donated to the foundation, raised over $85,000.

“EXPECT MORE EVENTS LIKE THIS”

Barnes-Smith said the goal of yesterday’s event was simply to thank advisors and maintain personal connections during a challenging time for the destination.

“We’re not here to sell you anything. But if you want to buy, we’ll sell to you!” she joked. 

She added that Sandals will continue to focus on smaller, more intimate advisor events, an approach the company has found to be more meaningful and effective.

“We used to host conventions with four or five hundred people,” she said. “You probably won’t see that anytime soon. Instead, you’ll see more gatherings like this where advisors can bring their clients and connect with the team in a more personal way.”

For Heron, the message to the trade is clear.

“Jamaica is open. Not just open, but open on steroids!” he told Travelweek. “Tourism is our oil in Jamaica, it’s a critical part of our economy so we need the business. We rely on our travel advisors to bring the business to us. Our message is simple: we’re ready to welcome your guests back.”

Lead image caption: O’Brian Heron and Maureen Barnes-Smith