With the news that another Breezes resort has dropped out of SuperClubs' dwindling portfolio, its chairman, John Issa, emphatically insisted that the remaining resort line is "intact, doing well and we are focused on expansion in the northern Caribbean."
The Breezes Grand Negril Resort & Spa in Jamaica will be taken over by Blue Diamond Hotels & Resorts, a division of Toronto-based Sunwing Travel Group, and rebranded as the all-inclusive Memories Negril Resort & Spa, effective April 17.
Blue Diamond also purchased the former Breezes Trelawny Resort & Spa near Falmouth, Jamaica, in June 2012 and reopened it as Memories White Sands Beach Resort & Spa last November.
Issa opened Breezes Grand Negril as the all-suite Grand Lido Negril Resort & Spa in 1989 before rebranding it as a Breezes property in 2009.
"We're working together to ensure a smooth transition of ownership with no interruption in service," Issa said. "All guests holding reservations after April 17 have been notified, as have all of our travel partners. All bookings are being honored. The resort will remain open, and most of the staff will remain in place."
The 22-acre, all-suite, beachfront hotel on Jamaica's west coast features six restaurants, six bars, three pools, Jacuzzis and an on-site spa.
In addition to its two Rooms hotels in Negril and Ocho Rios as well as the Negril Beach Villa, SuperClubs continues to operate the Breezes Bahamas Resort & Spa on Nassau's Cable Beach and three Breezes properties in Cuba.
Issa remains an equity owner in Hedonism II in Negril, although that property was sold in February to investor group Marshmallow Ltd.
"It's no secret that our focus over the last few years has shifted," Issa said. "The sale of Breezes Grand Negril concludes our restructuring plans, and now we can focus on our expansion program."
The company's plans include a 231-room addition to the 391-room Breezes Bahamas resort adjacent to the massive Baha Mar complex, which is scheduled to open in December 2014 in Nassau.
Breezes will move its beachfront tennis complex across the road to accommodate the new rooms and suites on the beach.
The resort also will add two restaurants, a beach bar and pool facility and expand its spa complex, Issa said.
Guests at Breezes will have access to the facilities at Baha Mar.
Issa is in negotiations to add four properties totaling 2,000 rooms in Cuba.
"The relationship between the U.S. and Cuba is improving," he said. "We've been getting ready for the U.S. traveler for years."
He's also looking at opportunities to open more Rooms hotels, "although there are no specific destinations I can speak of at this time."
Follow Gay Nagle Myers on Twitter @gnmtravelweekly.