Above: the Veranda Resort

By Alexander Britell

Following its purchase of the LaSource resort in Grenada last month, Sandals has announced the purchase of the Veranda Resort Hotel in Turks and Caicos.

The property will be annexed to Sandals’ current property in the territory, the Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Villages & Spa, as the Key West Luxury Village beginning Dec. 17.

The agreement was reached after “ongoing negotiations” with Turks and Caicos Governor Ric Todd and the TCI government, according to a release.

The Key West Village will feature studios, multi-bedroom suites and villas, representing the first major addition to the property since the Italian Village opened at Beaches TCI in 2009.

The expansion will bring the resort’s number of restaurants to 19.

“We sincerely thank Governor Todd, Premier Dr. Rufus Ewing and the entire cabinet for their ongoing support of Beaches Resorts,” said Gordon “Butch” Stewart, Chairman of Sandals Resorts in a statement.  “We admire their vision and tireless efforts for the betterment of the Turks product and wish them ‘All That’s Good’ for the future.”

Sandals said that all reservations on record for the Veranda after Dec. 17 would be honoured by Beaches. The company said Beaches will also recruit existing staff of the Veranda.

“It has been an exciting month for us and we are so pleased to continue the expansion of the Beaches Resorts brand in Turks & Caicos — everything here is expressly designed for the way today’s families live and travel,” Stewart said. “We have so enjoyed sharing the beauty of Grace Bay over the last 15 years and look forward to welcoming guests to this new piece of paradise.”

Turks and Caicos Premier Dr Rufus Ewing has said that he will seek a Memorandum of Understanding with Beaches TCI that will revisit the government’s development agreement with Beaches from 2006, with the goal of improving the immigration provisions and concessions in the government’s favour, and seeking additional benefits for the TCI.

The latter would include greater employment protection and the development of a skills training unit at the TCI Community College.

In a statement, Ewing said the government would continue to monitor the project “well after the sale has been completed,” looking to ensure that those currently employed with Veranda “will be afforded an opportunity to continue their employment with the new owners and that the people of the TCI will benefit from the opportunities presented by the acquisition.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.