With the news that a third Breezes property within a month is dropping out of the SuperClubs portfolio, John Issa, chairman, sought to reassure agents that the remaining resort line is intact and "advance bookings are ahead of last year."
"We are going to concentrate on expanding Breezes in Negril and in Nassau with larger rooms and more rooms," Issa said.
Issa's comments were triggered by the sale of the Breezes Runaway Bay in St. Ann on Jamaica's north coast to Sagicor, operator of the Jewel Dunn's River Beach Resort & Spa. The 266-room resort will be rebranded as a Jewel property, effective June 1.
Issa did not disclose the sale price; the agreement included the lease on the 18-hole golf course, which is owned by the Jamaican government and had been leased to Breezes and now will be part of the Sagicor lease.
The resort will not close during the transition, and all existing Breezes reservations are being honored and transferred to the new Jewel, Issa said.
Texas-based Aimbridge Hospitality will operate the property as a family-oriented, all-inclusive resort. The property will be renovated, although details and a timeline have not been announced.
The sale follows two other changes to the Breezes product line:
• The 349-room Breezes Trelawny Resort & Spa near Falmouth on Jamaica's northwestern coast will close on May 31 due to an impending sale to an overseas operator that intends to rebrand it.
• Breezes' management contract with its resort in Curacao will expire on June 30, after which the property will operate as the all-inclusive Princess Beach Resort and Casino, Curacao.
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