Sandals Resorts retains all employees despite hurricane closures

Sandals Resorts International has pledged to keep all employees on payroll with full benefits, even as several properties remain closed due to extensive hurricane damage expected to last until May 2026. The announcement came from executive chairman Adam Stewart during a series of global virtual town halls attended by more than 3,000 travel advisors and guests.

Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, left a trail of destruction across Jamaica’s tourism sector. Government estimates place the economic damage between US$6 and US$7 billion, while Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has forecast an 8 to 13 per cent decline in GDP for the country.

Despite the losses, five resorts, including properties in Negril, Westmoreland, and Ocho Rios, St Ann, are scheduled to reopen on December 6. Sandals Montego Bay, Sandals Royal Caribbean, and Sandals South Coast will remain shuttered until May 30, 2026. Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has set a target of December 15 for full sector-wide recovery.

Stewart reassured staff: “A hundred per cent of our team remain on payroll – whether they’re at an open or closed resort. All benefits will remain in place, pension, medical, dental, everything.” Sandals has also committed over US$3 million, approximately J$480 million, to assist employees in their recovery efforts.

Beyond retaining employment, every staff member received a monetary grant to provide immediate financial support. In a letter to employees last week, Regional Managing Director Jeremy Jones emphasized: “We will stand with you every step of the way as we recover and rebuild together. Your full base salary and gratuities will be paid throughout the closure period, and your health, life and pension benefits will remain in place.”

The decision has brought relief to staff facing personal hardships. Monique Munroe, part of Sandals Negril’s accounts team for 10 years, lost the roof of her six-apartment board house. “I am elated,” she said. “Every day I go on social media and boast about my company. Sandals really, truly cares.”

At Sandals Montego Bay, sous chef Gwendolyn Sloley, who has worked 23 years with the company, sheltered a dozen displaced people in her home while supporting two unemployed adult children. “Imagine being at home and still receiving your full salary and gratuity,” she said. “That does not happen anywhere else.”

For Richard West of Melbourne Avenue, St James, the news lifted a heavy burden. “I started thinking I’d have to find another job. I have a daughter. Things were already hard. The news that all staff would remain fully employed felt like a miracle,” he said.

Stewart reflected on staff resilience after visiting Sandals South Coast. “They were personally affected, yet they were asking how they could help rebuild. It humbled me. That is the Jamaican spirit – resilient, compassionate, proud.”

Munroe summed up the sentiment: “We lost our roofs. We lost things. But we didn’t lose our company. Sandals stood with us. And that makes all the difference.”

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