Sandals Temporarily Closing Antigua Resort
Sandals Resorts International is temporarily closing Sandals Grande Antigua for important maintenance projects.
The work, which is scheduled to begin Sept. 20, is anticipated to take five months, however, Sandals is in the process of completing a full and detailed assessment and say the timing may actually be shorter. This is the first time Sandals Grande Antigua, the only Sandals property in this destination, has closed since opening in 1992.
“There is no convenient time to inconvenience people, and we recognize that. We’re in the midst of an extensive review now and after that, if we find it’s possible to reopen Sandals Grande Antigua sooner, we will do it,” said SRI chairman Gordon “Butch” Stewart. “Meanwhile, our team is committed to handling this period in the most professional and practical way possible.”
According to Stewart, SRI Chief Operations Officer Shawn DaCosta is taking all necessary steps to engage with affected staff, union representatives and government officials in Antigua; Tammy Gonzalez, CEO of Unique Vacations, Inc. (UVI), an affiliate of Unique Travel Corporation, worldwide representatives of Sandals Resorts, is working closely with clients affected by the closure of the resort.
“Unlike other hotel companies, we’ve never closed for the summer season or for any reason and so we understand that this news arrives as an unwelcome surprise, but our first responsibility must be to delivering the quality Sandals experience our guests expect and deserve,” said Stewart.
Clients affected by the closure may choose to return at no additional cost or they may revise to a different Sandals resort or Beaches resort. Travel in either case must be completed by Dec. 15, 2018. Additionally, Unique Vacations, Inc. will be offering credit nights (depending on length of stay) as a gesture of goodwill to clients who are affected by this closure.
