A COVID-19 outbreak, angry customers and a public fight with the local administration.
For a chain of resorts that promise a “carefree vacation”, Sandals Resorts seems to be affected by them.
Earlier this week, the Barbados Ministry of Health dropped Sandals Barbados Resort and Spa as an official “quarantine hotel” – one of the few places newcomers to the island can stay while waiting for the results of two negative PCR tests needed to the island moves freely. In a statement, the ministry cited several “verified complaints” about violations of the COVID-19 protocol at the 280-room all-inclusive resort and warned that it would take “similar action” against any other property that did not comply with the island’s rules. and regulations. He also announced the arrest of three tourists suspected of violating the quarantine rules.
A few hours later, the Jamaican hotel chain rejected it with a statement of its own, claiming that it was blinded by the government’s announcement. The resort claimed that it rejected in writing all allegations of violations of the protocol and requested a meeting with the Ministry of Health and was “amazed” to learn about the removal from the list in the local press.
“We hope that the Minister of Tourism, the Minister of Health and the Chief Doctor, who have not yet been to our hotel to see the protocols in place, can give priority to a visit to do so,” the resort said in an unusual document. fierce statement at Barbados today.
In a statement to The Daily Beast, a Sandals spokesman said its resorts in Barbados have an “exemplary record in the industry” and said the allegations against them had not been proven. (The Ministry of Health did not respond to several requests for comment, but issued a press release apologizing for insinuating that the quarantine-avoiding tourists were somehow connected to the Sandals. They were not.)
It was not the first time the hotel chain has faced local government officials. Two weeks earlier, the health ministry in Grenada, a Caribbean island with 111,000 people, announced an outbreak of 26 cases from Sandals resort. In a few days, the number of active cases reached 44, doubling the total number of cases on the island since the beginning of the pandemic. The ministry considered the situation a “health emergency” and quickly adopted a limit of 10 people for all meetings, as well as a ban on meals inside and, in the days that followed, a curfew at 22:00.
While Sandals initially promised to work with local health authorities, he has since moved against government officials. In an open letter published by several local outlets, Sandals Grenada general manager Peter Fraser called the reports of the outbreak linking his resort “completely unfounded” and expressed “great disappointment” at government officials because he did not correct them.
Days later, Sandals Group Vice President Adam Stewart announced the closure of Grenada until February 3, blaming the decision not for the outbreak, but for the government’s indecision.
“As the government begins to change and it is not certain how they will move forward with their own protocols and entry requirements for tourists, we must wait for them to finalize a plan so that we can have a professional conversation about how this This will affect our customers, our operation and our staff, ”said Stewart.
In a statement to The Daily Beast, the Sandals spokesman claimed that the initial reports of an outbreak at Sandals proved to be “inaccurate”. The spokesman cited a second round of PCR testing that led to zero positive cases among its 432 employees and claimed that a number of initial test results were false positive. The Grenada Ministry of Public Health did not return several requests for comment.
The feeling among the locals seemed to be in favor of the chain. A columnist for New today accused the government of making Sandals a “sacrificial lamb” in its efforts to reopen tourism and accused them of “press[ing] a panic button while an investigation is pending and not yet completed. “Members of the Democratic National Congress, with leftist tendencies, claimed that the government allowed Sandals to circumvent security protocols and demanded the immediate resignation of the two ministers directly involved.
However, customers turned their anger directly on the chain. In the days surrounding the outbreak, negative reviews began to appear for locations in Bermuda and Grenada, with guests accusing the resorts of selling them rooms they did not deliver. An angry customer wrote on TripAdvisor that she paid $ 4,000 for a 4-night stay in a bathroom, only to be demoted to a “small, dimly lit room” with no air conditioning and no warning. “It’s all about keeping people safe, but be honest about the service you provide and don’t take money for something you can’t provide. This is under the quality of a 1 star motel room at the price of 5 stars. “
A man, who asked to be identified only as Jim, told The Daily Beast that he had booked a room at Grenada on December 14, but had not received any notification of the outbreak that had been announced the day before. Instead, he received a frantic e-mail two days later, telling him to contact the resort “immediately.” He said the hotel told him he would not accept new visitors, and the best thing he could offer was a loan to another location or a 50% refund. (The hotel changed its mind after Jim posted a very low TripAdvisor review.)
A Sandals guest named Mike, who asked to be mentioned only by first name, said he initially booked his honeymoon at Grenada resort, but moved to Barbados when Grenada’s property was closed. Upon arrival at the airport, he said that public health officials told him that he and his wife had taken a wrong test and that they would have to quarantine the hotel property until they could receive new tests. When he arrived at Sandals, however, the resort staff informed him that they would be limited not only to the hotel property but also to their room – a much smaller accommodation with no ocean or pool views. After spending less than 24 hours in complete isolation, Mike and his wife decided to pack up and leave.
The most frustrating thing about the whole experience, Mike said, was the conflicting information from the resort and the government.
“I didn’t know, do we believe the government or do we believe Sandals?” he said. “I understand, they have rules that they have to follow, [but] My wife and I just said, “It’s not worth the money I spent to be here.” “
In a statement, a Sandals spokesman said the company boasts the highest rate of return for customers in the industry and noted that more than 90% of guests at Sandals Barbados and Sandals Grenada have positive reviews on TripAdvisor.
Jim, after further reflection, admitted that “it was probably a stupid idea, first of all, to imagine that I could really escape.” He said he and his wife, who work in the medical field, plan to reschedule their vacation after being vaccinated. But he wouldn’t have booked her with Sandals.
“I think it was an absolutely ridiculous way to solve this,” he said in a telephone interview. “It would have been very easy to offer and process a refund in advance. I wouldn’t have felt bad for them. Now I’m pretty sure I’ll never book another trip with them. “