The ability of the Caribbean to create excellent products and compete at the highest level worldwide was highlighted by Sandals Resorts International (SRI) Executive Chairman Adam Stewart in the January 6, 2022 edition of TravelAge West, one of the most trusted travel industry publications in the western United States.

Stewart made the plug for the Caribbean in an interview focusing on Sandals’ 40th anniversary with the publication’s contributing writer Mark Chestnut.

Asked to explain what Sandals’ success says about the Caribbean overall, Stewart said, “I think our success has demonstrated two things: First, we set the benchmark and are the standard-bearer for ‘best in class’ in the all-inclusive resorts category, the fastest-growing sector in the hospitality space. And second, we have proven that what is created in the Caribbean, by Caribbean people, can compete as successfully on the world stage as any brand anywhere. So, we lead by example, and more than that — when we take our style of luxury all-inclusive vacationing to new destinations in the Caribbean, we shine a light on that island. In that way, we are the rising tide that lifts all the boats in our diverse and expansive region in the world.”

The article, which focused on Stewart’s insight about SRI’s long-standing success and how the multiple-award-winning resort group will continue to work with travel advisors during the novel coronavirus pandemic, noted that travel advisors would easily list Sandals Resorts among the top Caribbean hotel companies with great brand loyalty.

Asked to speak about Sandals’ continued popularity, Stewart noted that the company’s 40-year history of innovation and love stems from a simple mantra of exceeding guests’ expectations, a philosophy upon which his father, Sandals founder Gordon “Butch” Stewart, who passed away on January 4, 2021, built the resort group.

“I can honestly say that it’s because of this single mindset that we’ve never rested upon our laurels and have continued to out-innovate and outperform ourselves, year after year. And that’s what keeps us at the top: always putting the customer first and constantly finding new ways to enhance the customer experience,” Stewart told TravelAge West.

In relation to the evolution of the all-inclusive hotel concept in the Caribbean, Stewart said, “The one thing that remains constant is that innovation fuels this company, and so the product has evolved incredibly over the last four decades. I could walk you through some incredible Sandals firsts — from the invention of the swim-up pool bar to our stand-alone restaurants and ground-breaking ideas such as the ‘stay at one, play at more’ concept that allows guests staying at one Sandals to enjoy the amenities of neighbouring Sandals properties — but I think the biggest transformation of the Sandals experience came when we made the decision to become an even more luxury-included resort experience.”

Asked how the pandemic has affected his approach to hospitality, Stewart told TravelAge West, “When the pandemic struck, the borders of the entire Caribbean closed for the first time in 70 years. We are island nations and when borders close, imports stop. Our tourism community came together in a way that was actually beautiful. We were having conversations that were holistic and at the highest levels.

“So yes, the pandemic was a challenge, but it gave us — leaders of the private and public sectors — an opportunity to pause and reflect on what is important, instilling confidence and inspiring hope in our people and in the Caribbean.

“At Sandals we lived what we preached. We kept our entire workforce, and we made the decision to demonstrate our confidence in our comeback through significant investment in Caribbean tourism, spending millions to reimagine Sandals Royal Bahamian and acquiring four new properties during the downturn into new destinations, such as Curacao.”

In response to the publication’s query about Sandals’ relationship with travel advisors, Stewart, who spent many years with his father developing and strengthening relationships with professionals in the sector, stated, “My dad always said that Sandals has had a love affair with travel advisors. That will never change. We believe deeply in the power of travel advisors. They know their clients best and they know our properties best and can match the right customer to the right hotel.

“We believe in the power of partnership. That is why through all this we continuously championed business continuity, working with airline partners to bring lift back to the Caribbean and staying top of mind in the marketplace by training and developing more travel advisors and team members than ever before.”

When asked about the importance of Sandals’ travel advisor programmes, Stewart described travel agents as full partners in the resort group’s success.

“We are excited that our popular Back to the Beach programme will continue, bringing advisors to the resorts where they can host live booking events to their clients back in the US. This has been an incredibly effective way to educate travellers on the current protocols Sandals has in place,” he said.

“Advisors know that instilling confidence is critical. That’s why we’re especially pleased to have extended our ground-breaking Sandals Vacation Assurance, the industry’s most comprehensive vacation protection programme, featuring an industry-first guarantee of a free replacement vacation including airfare should a guest be impacted by a COVID-19-related travel interruption while on resort,” he said, adding that the programme is now available to guests who book any Sandals Resorts or Beaches Resorts by March 31, 2022, for travel throughout 2022.

“It’s another example that we will do whatever it takes to continue to earn their trust so advisors can sell us confidently, and guests can focus on what truly matters: quality time in our beautiful Caribbean with the ones they love most,” said Stewart.