Hotels & Resorts
Sandals and Beaches Resorts launch Winter Blues Sale
Sandals and Beaches Resorts are inviting Canadian travellers to make the Caribbean their New Year’s resolution with their limited-time Winter Blues Sale. Available to book from now through Feb. 2, 2026, the offer features instant credits, spa perks, and even a complimentary catamaran cruise, so guests can bask in the Caribbean’s most dazzling shades of blue. Canadian travel advisors can book through their preferred Canadian tour operator (instant savings are based on the tour operator’s product line-up) or with Unique Vacations Canada at 1-800-545-8283 or...
Hyatt completes sale of Playa’s Owned Real Estate Portfolio to Tortuga
Hyatt Hotels Corporation has announced the closing of the sale of the real estate portfolio previously acquired from Playa Hotels & Resorts N.V. (“Playa”) to Tortuga Resorts (“Tortuga”), a premier real estate and asset management platform focused on luxury beachfront hospitality across Mexico and the Caribbean, for approximately $2 billion. Hyatt can achieve up to an additional $143 million earnout if certain operating thresholds are met and has retained $200 million of preferred equity in Tortuga in connection with the transaction. The real estate portfolio originally...
Ko Olina, O‘ahu’s Sunny Leeward Coast, makes the perfect escape
Ko Olina Resort on O‘ahu’s west coast offers a winter experience defined by sunshine, open space, calm waters, and seasonal moments found nowhere else in Hawai‘i. Ideal for winter travellers seeking warmth without crowds, Ko Olina pairs natural beauty with culture, wellness, and family-friendly adventure. Here are three reasons it stands out as a winter destination in Hawai‘i: Watch Humpback Whales Return to Hawaiian Waters December–April marks the return of humpback whales to Hawaiian waters. From Ko Olina Marina, visitors can join small-group whale-watching...
Luxury hotels driving strong growth in Dubai hospitality sector
Dubai’s luxury hospitality sector is at the heart of a significant upturn in 2025, with five-star hotels leading gains in occupancy, room supply and average daily rates, according to newly published data from Cavendish Maxwell. Between January and August 2025, the city’s total hotel room inventory reached approximately 152,300 across 818 properties, with the five-star segment accounting for roughly 54,100 rooms. Across the city, average occupancy stood at 78.5%, up about three percentage points year on year. The five-star segment recorded the strongest growth in occupancy at...
Dubai Rolls Out Citywide Biometric Hotel Check-In
Dubai has announced the citywide introduction of a one-time contactless hotel guest check-in solution, setting a new global benchmark for guest convenience, safety, and innovation in the hospitality sector, and giving guests the option of bypassing in-person check-in procedures once implemented at the city’s hotels and holiday homes. The biometric and digital technology capability, developed by Visit Dubai and available through several independent providers, is now available for immediate integration at hotels and holiday homes across Dubai, empowering guests to enjoy a seamless and...
The Sandals Foundation is Making Spirits Bright
This holiday season, the simple joy of opening a new toy is reaching tens of thousands of children across the Caribbean through an annual toy drive led by the Sandals Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Sandals and Beaches Resorts. With the support of toy industry leaders Spin Master, Jazwares, and The Toy Foundation, 45,000 toys will be delivered, marking the Foundation’s largest toy drive to date. Heidi Clarke, Executive Director of the Sandals Foundation, said: “The holidays are about hope, the kind that reassures every child that they are seen, valued, and deeply loved, and...
Jamaica’s The Tryall Club reopens after Hurricane Melissa
Following its official reopening on Dec. 13, The Tryall Club, one of Jamaica’s most storied private luxury destinations, is welcoming guests after a dedicated recovery effort in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. With more than 70% of villas fully operational and all core guest amenities open, the Club enters the heart of the winter season with renewed energy, resilience, and its signature sense of ease. In the weeks following the storm, The Tryall Club undertook extensive inspections, cleaning, and repairs across its 2,200-acre estate. Today, guests will find a property that feels...
Jamaica’s iconic Jakes Hotel set to reopen on Dec.18
One of Jamaica’s landmark properties, Jakes Hotel is set to reopen on Dec. 18. Located on Jamaica’s magnetic south coast, Jakes Hotel has always existed slightly outside of time: a bohemian cluster of seaside cottages, verandas, and saltwater rhythms built on creativity, community, and the pioneering spirit of founder Sally Henzell, her kids, communitarian Jason and producer Justine, and her husband, the late Perry Henzell, the genius behind The Harder They Come with the late Jimmy Cliff. After Hurricane Melissa passed through the region in late October, Treasure Beach felt the...