Breezes Trelawny sale completed

Blue Diamond Hotels & Resorts has completed its purchase of the Breezes Trelawny Resort & Spa in Jamaica. Earlier this year, SuperClubs announced that the property was going to be sold. Blue Diamond Hotels & Resorts is a subsidiary of the Sunwing Travel Group. Plans — details of which will be released shortly — call for the resort to temporarily close on June 1, 2012, and undergo a $40 million renovation. It will reopen to guests as a 4 star plus resort on Nov. 1, 2012, under the new name of Memories White Sands Beach Resort & Spa. The purchase signals the increasing importance of Jamaica to the Sunwing Travel Group. The Group’s volume of business to Jamaica — through its two tour companies, Sunwing Vacations and Signature Vacations — have increased dramatically in each of the last three years. Sunwing Airlines now offers service from 12 Canadian cities to Montego Bay, following the addition of flights from St. John’s, Newfoundland in March. The carrier will also be starting year-round flights from Cincinnati, OH and seasonal flights from Nashville, TN this month on behalf of Vacation Express, the group’s US-based tour operator. Commenting on the new acquisition, Sunwing Travel Group’s president & CEO, Stephen Hunter said: “The purchase of our first property is a significant milestone in the rapid evolution of Blue Diamond Hotels and adds to the success we have enjoyed with the Braco Village Beach Resort.” Hunter continued: “The popularity of the island of Jamaica is at an all time high, and we’re certainly going to add to that appeal with the unique plans we have for the redevelopment of the new Memories White Sands Beach Resort & Spa. We look forward to unveiling those plans soon and to welcoming our first guests this fall.” SuperClubs chairman, John Issa said of the sale: “Breezes Trelawny has fulfilled the dreams of thousands of families over the past decade. This sale to Sunwing will ensure that the tradition continues.”