On the 15^th of October 2012, La Source – a Grenadian owned all-inclusive resort sadly closed its grand entrance due to financial difficulties. I was personally gutted having spent some time there six months before the announcement (read my review here).  On my visit the attentive staff served us graciously and in the tranquil surroundings and fresh atmosphere, there was no whiff of a business struggling to operate.

Soon after the planned closure, there were mentions of a Sandals Resort takeover. Naturally, some locals reacted defensively. Having joined La Source’s owner Mr. Taylor at the beach bar for a drink and in the afternoon a jazz night, I could understand the initial uncertainty and upset of this beautiful location leaving Grenadian hands. But, at least it is still in the hands of a Caribbean owned and family run company who are internationally recognised.

Sandals, was recently voted the Best All-Inclusive Hotel/Resort and the Best Luxury Hotel/Spa Resort Company at the 2012 British Travel Awards. But there are still concerns as to whether it will benefit local business due to holidaymakers spending more time inside the resort. Grenadian finance minister Nazim Burke revealed that Sandals would invest US $100m in Grenada over the next few years with plans to extend the site.

After teasing 60,000+ fans over the last few days about a new location on Facebook, the official announcement of Sandals Grenada was made yesterday on the Sandals website. Chairman Gordon Stewart described the new move as the ‘perfect’ location for the brand and vowed to share the beauty of Grenadian culture and it’s people. I was unsure at first, but now I’m very excited for Grenada. They have kept the name La Source and judging by these images no drastic changes have been made to the décor yet. There have also been mentions of La Source staff being reinstated.

Yesterday’s announcement caused somewhat of frenzy on social media with Sandals fanatics eager to book. It has already gathered interest as a wedding/honeymoon destination judging by comments like, ‘this looks like the perfect honeymoon destination for us!’. Sandals has a strong brand loyalty and an extensive marketing strategy, this can only be a good thing for Grenada, and I’m looking forward to visiting when it opens in the new year.

Market Research and Commercial Production Consultant Jadine Ferguson based in Grenada shared her thoughts on the media launch held on Thursday 8th November at the newly named Sandals La Source Grenada.

‘The ‘who is who’ of Grenada attended the launch drawing in a larger crowd than expected. The Sandals team looked extremely happy to be in Grenada and they were well received by Grenadian’s who attended. They promised to keep the La Source staff on a probationary term until they are trained to the Sandals standard and ‘Sandalised’. The talked about renovating the resort  and adding another 50 rooms before opening and within three years building a total of 150 rooms. The Prime Minister of Grenada also spoke at the ceremony and expressed how happy he was that Sandals was here, most importantly he mentioned to the team that he hoped they used as much of the local supply on the island as possible. Overall the event was a success! Sandals is a world known brand and I believe it will help with marketing Grenada as a unique tourist destination’ 

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