“We’ve never believed in travel advisors more than we do at this moment”: Adam Stewart on the opening of Treasure Beach Village and the debut of Beaches 2.0

The newly opened Treasure Beach Village, a US$150 expansion at Beaches Turks and Caicos, marks the beginning of a new chapter for Beaches Resorts.

“This new village is what we call Beaches 2.0,” Adam Stewart, executive chairman of Sandals Resorts International, told TravelPress Today during a one-on-one interview this past weekend during the opening celebration for the beachfront village. “This is a great indication of where we are going — everything will be this or better.”

A first look at one of the newly opened three-story Treasure Beach CrystalSky Reserve Villas

As part of a major US$1 billion investment, plans are underway to significantly increase the footprint of Beaches Resorts in the Caribbean over the next few years.

“This is the first of five new resorts,” he noted. “We open Beaches Exuma in the Bahamas next fall in 2027, the following year we’re under construction already for Beaches Barbados, 601 keys on 30 plus acres of land, west facing, so the tranquil side of the beach. From there we open the new Beaches Runaway Bay in Jamaica, a brand new site in Jamaica for us, 450-rooms, a brand new hotel. Then behind that we will have Beaches Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, brand new, it is about three miles past Sandals with a huge beach. Sandals is about 350 feet of beach and that’s 1,200 feet and 53 acres. This is an incredible site for the Beaches brand.”

Actor Chad Michael Murray and Adam Stewart during the opening celebration of Treasure Beach Village at Beaches Turks and Caicos

The grand opening festivities featured performances by juggling group Jonglissimo, who were on Season 20 of America’s Got Talent, and American Authors, a rock band whose top hits include “Best Day of My Life” and “Believer.” Celebrities on location for the weekend included Chad Michael Murray, Taye Diggs, Jesse Eisenberg and Dave Annable. Highlights included a 50-person Junkanoo procession, a spectacular fireworks show and elements that showcased the history and culture of Turks and Caicos.

“Put your seat belts on and watch the future,” Stewart shared on stage. “Welcome to Beaches 2.0.”

The opening celebration featured a headline performance by American Authors

During the evening Stewart also paid tribute to his late father, Gordon “Butch” Stewart, the founder of Sandals and Beaches Resorts.

“He was a champion of believing in what is possible, the Caribbean dream, and believing in Caribbean tourism and Caribbean people more than anybody else that I know,” he shared.

Austrian juggling group Jonglissimo join American Authors on stage

Notably, Treasure Beach Village features 101 multi-bedroom suites, ranging from two to four-bedroom luxury accommodations, and a 15,000-square-foot lagoon-style pool. The all-suite village also features some unique standout options like the Chairman’s Penthouse Suite, spanning two floors and the three-story CrystalSky Reserve Villas with four bedrooms, welcoming up to 10 guests with a private pool and rooftop deck.

Dining options include Pinta, the first food hall concept for the Beaches brand offering Mexican, Caribbean, Asian and Italian fare from fresh tacos and dumplings to made-to-order pizza, and the debut of Butch’s Island Chophouse at a Beaches resort.

Stewart in the Chairman’s Penthouse Suite, which spans two floors

Another favourite spot is the 32-seat Starfish Cinema.

“We believe fundamentally that we’re living in a world of overload digitally, information coming to us constantly non-stop and everything we’re designing here is to create memories and moments for families,” he shared. “You see in the room design, bigger rooms than we’ve ever built before, the advancement of gastronomy. The collection of what this resort now offers, 30 restaurants, 100 acres, the kids facilities… Many of the most recognized luxury brands are not very good at entertaining kids. We understand really well that the kids are the original customer.”

The view of Treasure Beach Village from a catamaran cruise 

As for the Canadian market, Stewart shared that it remains an important market

“There’s a lot of love between the Caribbean islands and Canada. We saw that after Hurricane Melissa, the way that Canada showed up for Jamaica was really admirable and we appreciate all the generosity, planes and planes coming in with relief,” he added.

Notably, Stewart pointed out that they’re never had more travel advisors in their database than right now.

Treasure Beach Village features 101 multi-bedroom suites, ranging from two to four-bedroom luxury accommodations

“We’ve never had more business in terms of holidays sold and quantum of money than we have at this very moment with Canadian travel advisors. Whereas many companies are very strategically going consumer direct, we continue to ensure that Maureen (Barnes-Smith) and her team have everything they need to be able to allow travel advisors to specialize in Sandals and to build amazing carers for themselves by focusing on the Sandals brand. My dad to describe it as his love affair with the travel advisor community and as long as I’m here that will never change.”

As Sandals and Beaches continue to evolve, he believes that travel advisors will be even more relevant in being able to explain the product.

The new beachfront CrystalSky Reserve Villas

“The more we build into our playbook of 2.0, the more relevant the travel advisor becomes. I’m standing on the should of 45 years of legacy with my dad’s belief in travel advisors and we’ve never believed in travel advisors more than we do at this moment. It’s a complete symbiotic relationship.”