Hanover-based Princess Hotel & Resorts will play host to the 36 contestants in the 2026 Miss Universe Jamaica this week for a beauty, fashion and wellness retreat.

This is a partnership between Atelier Dermoth Williams, the Miss Universe Jamaica Organisation, Knutsford Express, Design Essentials, Fania Ffrench and the AC Hotel.

A number of activities are scheduled to take place over the next few days including fashion shows, photo shoots, welcome dinner reception, a pool party and swimwear showcase and beach clean-up.

Mark McDermoth, president of the Miss Universe Jamaica Organisation told Observer Online how the association with the Princess Hotels & Resorts has enhanced the pageant over the past two years.

“The Princess Hotel experience has helped to enhance the contestants and Miss Universe Jamaica Beauty, Fashion & Wellness Pageant in so many ways! Firstly, the partnership elevates the pageant’s profile, which in turn enhances the contestants’ experience by providing a fabulous environment and backdrop to fully execute the beauty, fashion and wellness programme, which are important ingredients of the pageant’s mandate and its success.

Having our contestants stay at this fabulous resort enhances their experience by reducing the immense pressure of the competition through luxury, wellness, and downtime. It provides a stunning, ready-made backdrop for our high-quality photoshoots, and other programmes and creates exclusive spaces for organic experiences, including elevated visual content and unique experiential activities,” said McDermoth.

McDermoth continued, “What is particularly significant about this year is that for the three nights the contestants will be at the resort, in addition to the glamorous swimsuit pool presentations, nighttime fashion shows, cocktail receptions and hosted dinners, we will be leaning more into the wellness component of the beauty, fashion & wellness retreat.

For example, we will be involved in a community outreach programme while on property, which takes the form of a beach and mangrove clean-up and we’re very excited about this! The contestants will also be involved in fitness activities such as, well-inspired cooking classes, spin classes, aerobics, beach volleyball, spa treatments, and what’s great this year is that they will still have significant downtime to relax, unwind, decompress and enjoy the moments provided by the resort’s management.”