Above: the soon-to-be Dreams Sugar Bay St Thomas Resort & Spa

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Apple Leisure Group’s AMResorts will be adding the Sugar Bay resort in St Thomas to its brand management portfolio beginning July 1, the company announced in a release.

The property will be rebranded as the Dreams Sugar Bay St Thomas Resort & Spa.

“AMResorts has enjoyed continued success and strong performance in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Curacao over the last 13 years,” said Alex Zozaya, CEO of Apple Leisure Group. “Given our longtime presence within the region through our distribution subsidiaries, it made good business sense to expand our resort footprint in the English Caribbean.”

AMResorts will take over operations of the 294-room resort on July 1, and it will then begin renovations “to bring the property to brand standards,” the company said.

The renovation will include the upgrade of all guest rooms, with 100 rooms updated to AMResorts’ “Preferred Club” level.

The official rebranding will take place in November 2014, making it the company’s 12th Dreams-branded resort.

“In terms of location, Sugar Bay has the right mix of beauty and desirability for US travelers our largest guest population,” said Javier Coll, executive vice president and chief strategy officer of Apple Leisure Group. “That, combined with our powerful distribution network, is a recipe for success in this market.”

AMResorts currently operates 36 properties in the region under the Sunscape, Breathless, Dreams, Zoetry, Secrets and Now brands.