Sandals is closing its Sandals Grande Antigua resort for maintenance in September.
The property will be closed between Sept. 20 and Dec. 17, the first time it has been closed since first opening on the island in 1992.
“There is no convenient time to inconvenience people, and while many hotels in Antigua have traditionally closed on an annual basis, we have not and recognize the dramatic consequences this action has on our staff, industry and destination partners, vendors and of course, guests. We humbly and sincerely apologize and promise, Sandals will take care of you,” said SRI chairman Gordon “Butch” Stewart. “Our team is committed to handling this period in the most professional and practical way possible.”
Stewart appointed Sandal Resorts International Chief Operations Officer Shawn DaCosta to engage with affected stakeholders.
“Shawn will drive our compressed schedule to ensure that this maintenance work commences and completes on time,” Stewart said. “The local economy is tied to ours and we sincerely hope our effort to shorten the closure period is helpful to them.”
Tammy Gonzalez, CEO of Unique Vacations, said clients impacted by the closure of Sandals Grande Antigua may choose to return to the resort within one year of their original travel date and Sandals Resorts will honor the original rate and pay any airline change fees or penalties.
they may choose to travel on their original dates but revise to a different Sandals Resorts or Beaches Resorts and again, the airfare will be covered, she said.