S Hotel is ‘Best All-Inclusive’ Caribbean resort – USA Today
Published:Saturday | January 13, 2024 | 12:07 AMJanet Silvera/Senior Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
A mere 12 days into 2024, the spotlight illuminates Jamaica’s S Hotel, now draped in the esteemed title of the ‘Best All-Inclusive’ Resort in the Caribbean. The accolade was bestowed by readers of USA Today.
No stranger to accolades, the S Hotel, one of the jewels in the crown of the tourism capital, Montego Bay, surpassed its closest rivals, Turks and Caicos’s Ambergis Cay and St Lucia’s Serenity at Coconut Bay, along with seven other Caribbean resorts, to claim the coveted title. USA Today announced the winners in the Top 10 category yesterday afternoon.
Two other Jamaican resorts made the top-tier list, the eco-friendly Sunset at the Palms Negril, which copped fifth place, and the re-imagined and recently renovated Sandals Dunn’s River in Ocho Rios, which placed seventh.
Humbled by the recognition, Crissa Group’s Managing Director Christopher Issa said he and his team try hard to create an exceptional product with both the S Hotel and the Spanish Court in Kingston.
“Being named top all-inclusive is motivation and validation. Our aim is to bring culture into the hospitality world,” he told The Gleaner.
A CULTURAL MUSEUM
Quietly, the Jamaican hotelier has been creating a cultural museum with the S, differentiating this resort from any other experience in Jamaica.
S Hotel’s art pieces are conversation starters, dedicated to the likes of the mother of Jamaican dialect, Louise ‘Miss Lou’ Bennett-Coverley, the country’s iconic national heroes, and complemented by quaint cars used in movies filmed here and out-of-the-box restaurants.
The resort’s latest addition is a 1970s mobile record shop in a Morris Minor, which doubles as sound system. The car was a popular spectacle in Kingston in earlier years.
“By showcasing different elements of our culture, it makes not just our people, but visitors to the resort, feel more a part of the whole experience. It’s a bit of a submersible experience and we have been adding new exhibits,” Issa explained, noting that the latest was a giant pair of boots.
The boots resemble the ‘wallabee’ with its renowned cheese bottom. What makes these boots even more special are the doors that lead to a small cabin outfitted with a bed.
Winning the USA Today Readers’ Choice Award top 10 is no easy feat, and the organisation, in a media release, stated that, with the help of a panel of travel experts, they combed the Caribbean for the islands’ best all-inclusive resorts. Readers then voted for their favourites. Thousands of votes were cast over six weeks.
The other resorts that made it on the list include the Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada; Lopesan Costa Bavaro, Spa and Casino, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Beaches Turks and Caicos; Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort, St Lucia; and Sonesta Maho Beach, Casino and Spa in St Maarten.
“Guests are drawn to the adults-only Sunset for many reasons. Its treehouse-styled accommodations are tucked away among the island’s lush foliage and its all-inclusive rates include rooms with private balconies, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, non-motorised water sports, taxes, tips and more,” said USA Today.
Sandals Dunn’s River, which has emerged as a testament to the late tourism legend Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart’s unwavering passion for excellence and deep connection to Jamaica, was described as a resort with accommodation that ranges from luxury rooms to rondovals complete with private pools.