Sandals's Silver Anniversary

Ask any couple happily celebrating their 25th anniversary the secret of their success. Chances are, their answer will revolve around one concept: the harmony resulting from mutual affection and the respect nurtured by shared experiences.

This year, Sandals Resorts International celebrates its silver anniversary and the longtime harmony with its guests that has flourished since 1981. The union has brought both Sandals Resorts and its offspring, Beaches Resorts, worldwide attention.

The company that today is seen as the global leader in all-inclusives is the result of a chance encounter: Twenty-five years ago, founder Gordon “Butch” Stewart came upon a once-neglected hotel perched on one of Montego Bay’s finest beaches. Stewart, with no previous experience in the hotel industry but with years as a successful salesman, saw the opportunity to transform this hotel into a luxury all-inclusive. After an extensive renovation and the creation of a new brand, the resort became Sandals Montego Bay, the flagship for the couples-only resort brand.

Changing and Growing

Every happy couple knows that relationships change over the years, but when those changes are shared, the results can be exciting.

Such was the case for Sandals, which unveiling a whole host of innovations just a few years after its founding. Dinners were served on tables set with fine linens with à la carte menus, a departure from the buffet meals that had become synonymous with all-inclusives. Sandals’ swim-up bar—a new concept at the time—is now a signature of the popular resorts. The fledgling collection, which at this time included just Sandals Montego Bay and Sandals Inn, soon became the first branded resort chain in the Caribbean to feature Jacuzzis and the first to offer satellite TV. Extra touches were added to make guests feel like kings and queens for a few special days.

Those royal touches soon were carried over into several new additions over the next few years. The doors opened on Sandals Royal Caribbean Resort & Offshore Island, Sandals Negril Beach Resort & Spa, Sandals Ocho Rios (today part of Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach & Villa Resort), and Sandals Dunn’s River Golf Resort & Spa, a location which held special significance for Stewart because its lush landscape was the site of his boyhood home. The first non-Jamaican resort later followed with Sandals Antigua Caribbean Village & Spa, a property that expanded the concept of a luxury all-inclusive stay.

If there’s anything more gratifying than an island vacation, it might be a vacation of island hopping, a possibility that became a romantic reality in 1993 with the opening of Sandals Regency St. Lucia Golf Resort & Spa. Couples could enjoy the smooth-as-silk Sandals experience in several locations around the Caribbean, splitting their time between Antigua, known for its 365 beaches, and St. Lucia, noted for its beautiful Piton Mountains. Eventually, Sandals would add other options with two more couples-only resorts on sultry St. Lucia and Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island in Nassau, Bahamas.

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continued on page 3 The Family Grows as Beaches is Born; Contact Information