J’can all-inclusives among Tripadvisor’s best
Published:Friday | May 26, 2023 | 12:57 AMJanet Silvera/Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
SEVEN JAMAICAN all-inclusive resorts have been named in Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best top 25 hotels in the Caribbean for 2023.
The resorts are Sandals Negril, which placed seventh in the region, Montego Bay’s S Hotel at number 15, Beaches Negril at 21 and Jewel Grande Montego Bay completing the list at 22 for Best All-inclusive in the Caribbean. Also, Tryall Club in Hanover, The Cliff Hotel Negril and Sandals Negril have earned spots in the 25 Best Hotels in the Caribbean. Both Tryall and The Cliff are European Plan resorts.
Tripadvisor is the travel industry’s ‘bible’ for vacationers worldwide and its Travelers’ Choice awards is based on opinions of their community over a 12-month period. Jamaica was pegged against countries like Cuba, which had the number one all-inclusive in the region, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, St Lucia, the British Virgin Islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and Grenada.
The Jamaican chain, Sandals, copped five awards Caribbean-wide, two resorts in Jamaica and two in St Lucia, with the Negril property differentiating itself from the pack.
TREMEMNDOUS HONOUR
The group’s corporate director, communications, Rachel McLarty, said that it was a tremendous honour for the four resorts to achieve this recognition.
“We are thrilled. It is truly a testament to our unwavering commitment to providing the ultimate vacation experience,” she told The Gleaner.
“Our warm welcome and hospitality is an invitation to all to come and create amazing and unforgettable memories,” she added.
Montego Bay’s S Hotel received the recognition merely a year after changing their status from European Plan (EP) to all-inclusive, and general manager Ann-Marie Goffe-Pryce is elated. She describes the recognition not only for S, but also for Jamaica, as tremendous.
“This is great for our team,” she said.
The resort, which is located on the Jimmy Cliff Boulevard (also the Hip Strip) is located on the world-famous Doctor’s Cave Beach.
The stylish contemporary 120-room resort combines urban sophistication and laid-back lifestyle with an underlying rootsy vibe, says Trip Advisor, noting that their readers love the pool, the beach and the spa mostly at the Jamaica tourism capital’s hotel.
Trip Advisor readers say the Jewel Grande Montego Bay Resort and Spa (formerly the Palymra) in Rose Hall, which is tagged the ultimate oceanfront accommodation with junior to three-bedroom suites and villas, “is ideal for couples friends, families, weddings, honeymoons and unforgettable events”.
“Trip Advisor is one of greatest platforms used by travellers when making travel plans across the world. It represents the opinions and experiences of people that have actually been to the destination and have experienced the hotel and all of its amenities,” Jewel Grande’s general manager Jaap van Dam pointed out.
He noted that being recognised in this fashion helps the resort to understand what is most important to their guests and what they expect them to deliver, and ultimately if they are getting it right.
“It is a great honour to receive this recognition. We are very proud of our team, as they are true professionals committed to giving our guests true ‘Service from the Heart’. We hope to continue to be one of the options chosen by visitors to Jamaica and will indeed continue to extend warm Jamaican hospitality. Congratulations to Sandals Negril, S Hotel, Tryall Club, The Cliff Hotel Negril and Beaches Negril for their recognition. It’s a great day for brand Jamaica,” he stated.