Sandals signs for new resort on island of Curaçao
Main Photo: The current Santa Barbara Beach & Gold Resort, to become the new Sandals resort on Curacao
Date: December 2020
Location: Santa Barbara, Curacao, the Caribbean
Name: The Sandals Curaçao – re-opening 2023
No. of Keys: 350
Seller: Formerly the Santa Barbara Beach & Golf Resort, part of a broader 3,000-acre development, the resort will be completely reinvented. The hotel was managed by Benchmark, a US company that invested in the UK’s etc venues. The hotel was opened as a Hyatt in 2010, but the Smeets family took it back to run as an independent in 2012.
Buyer: Sandals Resorts International has signed an agreement that will bring the company to a brand-new destination, at the Santa Barbara Resort on the island of Curaçao.
This will mark the ninth island destination for the brand in the Caribbean region. The new Sandals Curaçao will initially include 350-luxurious rooms and suites stretched along the Spanish Water Bay and the Caribbean Sea, with a further expansion planned in the coming years.
Work is set to begin in 2021. Sandals Curaçao will bring the opulent resort innovations to the island, which have become synonymous with the world-renowned Sandals Resorts brand across the region.
Guests will also have access to the neighbouring 18-hole Pete Dye championship golf course, two onsite marinas and 38,000-square-feet of indoor and outdoor meeting space, the largest on the island. World-famous for its vibrant culture, pristine beaches and coves, Curaçao also boasts spectacular dive sites and exotic marine ecosystems.
Sandals Resorts International chairman, Gordon “Butch” Stewart, said: “It has been our distinct pleasure to work alongside the government of Curaçao and the Smeets family on this exciting new endeavour for the Sandals brand.
“We wish to express our deepest gratitude to Roald Smeets, who has been instrumental to this process and absolutely delightful to work with. “We plan to do more than our part to raise the world’s appreciation of this beautiful country.”
With year-round temperatures of 80 degrees, it is touted as the perfect anytime-escape. The resort will have a positive, immediate and long-term impact on the island and the people of Curaçao.
In year one, it is expected to have an over $40 million economic footprint and an impressive track record on the creation of new employment. The resort alone will add over 1,200 local jobs, comprised of 800 new team members, and 400 local tradesmen and craftsmen.
Sandals Resorts International deputy chairman, Adam Stewart, added: “Each time we expand, we bring with us the full potential of our 40-years in hospitality. The new Sandals Curaçao embodies our philosophy of forward-thinking and looking through a new lens.
“It is a promise not only to our guests but to our team members for continued innovation. “Curaçao is a place to be discovered, and we are so proud today to become part of this community.”
THPT Comment: Sandals plough ahead with this, their sixteenth Caribbean property, despite the pandemic…well-done!
First Seen: Breaking Travel News
The Hotel Property Team (THPT) is a small group of highly experienced business professionals. Between us, we provide a range of skills and experience which is directly relevant to those involved in the hotel property market.
For more information – Visit www.thpt.co.uk or email info@rrh.hmf.mybluehost.me