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| Sandals Resorts’ ‘Your Wedding. Your Style’ concept allows couples to tailor every aspect of their special day. |
It’s been a busy few months for Sandals Resorts International (SRI) as the Caribbean all-inclusive powerhouse ended its 2012 campaign with announcements of two new resorts in the Caribbean as well as a plan to move away from its partnership with Martha Stewart Weddings and forge ahead with new customized wedding offerings.
“Your Wedding. Your Style”
Toward the end of 2012, Sandals Resorts International moved away from the pre-packaged Martha Stewart Weddings, and introduced a program allowing couples to customize all aspects of their destination wedding.
Sandals Resorts recently launched “Your Wedding. Your Style,” a destination-wedding concept that allows couples to personally style and execute their dream wedding at any one of Sandals’ 14 Caribbean resorts. With an expanded color palette, wedding accessories and bespoke experiences, couples can select every aspect of their special day to create their perfect ceremony and reception.
The program aims to eliminate the “cookie-cutter” wedding package—instead, couples get the customization options they crave for, resulting in a truly personalized Caribbean wedding experience.
And to help reach brides online, the group has created an exclusive Sandals Destination Wedding Designer. Here’s how it works: Couples begin by building their profile and selecting their wedding location, one of four Caribbean destinations: Jamaica, The Bahamas, Antigua or Saint Lucia. Using the Sandals Destination Wedding Designer’s interactive tool, they choose their color palette from 10 distinct shades, including a variety of corals, pinks, blues and greens.
Next, they can easily browse almost 1,000 wedding ideas for flowers, decor, wedding cakes, entertainment and more. Whether it’s traditional or tropical, modern or romantic, every design style has been included.
Curated galleries within the Sandals Destination Wedding Designer cover every facet of the wedding: bouquets and boutonnieres, ceremony details, reception, cakes, specialty dinners and bars, photography and videography packages, and bridal salon appointments for pre-wedding beauty treatments. Brides and grooms can enhance their guests’ experience with a variety of creative decor and entertainment options, including fire dancers, tiki torches, candy buffets and steel drum bands.
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| Sandals sets foot in Grenada with the acquisition of LaSource. |
Each “wedding” is assigned a unique code that the bride can reference when she ultimately books her wedding with her dedicated pre-planning consultant. The tool’s sharing functionality will also let couples send their favorite designs and ideas to their parents, bridal party and guests via Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and their own wedding website and blog.
For more information, agents should call Sandals’ Weddings Concierge Line at 877-SANDALS.
Two New Resorts
Wedding couples, honeymooners and others will soon have December last year, Sandals Resorts International, parent company of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts and Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts, announced the purchase of The Veranda Resorts & Residences in Turks and Caicos, a luxury property with oceanfront views along Grace Bay.
The purchase was an expansion of the award-winning Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa and introduced as the Key West Luxury Village on December 17. The Key West Luxury Village will come with studios, multi-bedroom suites and villas, and will be the first major addition to the property since the grand opening of the resort’s Italian Village in 2009. In addition to the 16 restaurants currently on the property, guests will now have access to three new gourmet-dining establishments through the expansion, as well as a number of other luxurious amenities. The property will have its grand reopening sometime this spring.
Agents should contact Tanya Swann ([email protected], 649-946-8000), sales manager for Beaches Turks and Caicos.
Also, Sandals Resorts International has announced that it would be expanding to Grenada with the acquisition of LaSource, a popular luxury resort that officially closed its doors recently due to lingering financial woes. Travel Agent first got the word that Sandals was planning a move to Grenada last year when we sat down with Adam Stewart, CEO of Sandals Resorts International.
Stewart told us back then that Sandals was considering expansions to both Barbados and Grenada. And with the latter already confirmed, agents should keep an eye on a possible Sandals in Barbados’ future.
LaSource, the 100-room resort on Pink Gin Beach, reopened in February of 2008 after drawn-out renovations and improvements to repair massive structural damage caused by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The property is surrounded by the azure waters of the Caribbean on three sides. After Sandals’ expansion is complete, the resort will have added nearly 100 units for a total of 200 guest rooms, private cottages and bungalows, many of which will be concierge- and butler-level suites, including the brand’s signature Rondoval suites.
The property’s enhancements will also include some of the brand’s signature dining establishments such as the beachfront Neptunes; Café de Paris with its delectable gourmet pastries and coffee creations; Spices featuring authentic Caribbean and Creole cuisine; and other popular restaurants with Japanese, Italian and French influences.
Other amenities will include an expansive new infinity pool and swim-up bar; a fully equipped fitness center; a full-service Red Lane Spa; plus a number of entertainment lounges including a library and piano bar. A grand reopening of the Sandals LaSource Grenada is slated for November 20. The resort doesn’t have an onsite contact as of yet, but agents can still call 800-SANDALS for more information.