Sandals Plans 7,000 New Resort Jobs, Growing Its Workforce by More Than a Third as Royal Caribbean Agrees to Buy Half

Sandals Resorts International plans to add 7,000 jobs at new hotels, some of them outside the Caribbean, which would grow a workforce Sandals puts at more than 18,000 people by 38 per cent. The plan comes days after Royal Caribbean Group agreed to take a 50% stake in the Jamaican resort company for about $3 billion. Executive Chairman Adam Stewart gave no breakdown by country, project or timeline, so the headline figure is a company target, not a list of open vacancies. For Metaintro readers in hospitality, the useful part sits in the resort plans already on the table, where the Bahamas government and the company itself have put numbers on the jobs at specific sites, and in the company's own hiring rules. Here is what is known, what is not, and how Caribbean hotel workers can get ready.

What Did Sandals Actually Announce About Jobs?

The jobs pledge came from Executive Chairman Adam Stewart at a briefing for travel advisors. In his words, Sandals has 7,000 new jobs that it is creating for these new hotels, and he gave no breakdown of the jobs by country, project or timeline.

The size of that target matters. That is a large addition for a company of its size, since the new roles would expand its workforce by more than a third if they all arrive. By his own account, Stewart spoke to staff first, flying to Jamaica after he finalised the deal to address team members at a company town hall before meeting the advisors.

Stewart tied the jobs to these new hotels, not to existing ones. In Stewart's words, there are new hotels, some of which will come quickly and some in new destinations, with more announcements promised. He did not say when or where the first of those hotels will open.

What Does the Royal Caribbean Deal Change, and When?

The deal itself is set out in the joint press release in a US regulatory filing dated September 23, 2026. Royal Caribbean Group will acquire a 50% equity interest in Sandals and Beaches Resorts for approximately $3 billion, backed by committed debt financing from Morgan Stanley.

It has not happened yet. The transaction is expected to close in early 2027, subject to customary approvals and closing conditions.

Control will be shared once it closes. The joint venture will be run by a board under the shared leadership of Stewart and Royal Caribbean chief executive Jason Liberty, and Stewart stays on as executive chairman. Existing reservations, loyalty programs and resort operations will continue as usual.

For hotel staff, one line in the release stands out. Stewart pledged that as the company grows it will remain true to creating opportunities for our team members, travel advisor partners and the communities it calls home. That is a statement of intent, not a hiring schedule, but it puts staff on the record as part of the plan.

Where Are the New Resorts Being Built?

Royal Caribbean's own slides for investors give the clearest map. The investor presentation lists 18 existing resorts, with seven in Jamaica, three in Saint Lucia and two in Barbados, plus three resorts coming soon in the Bahamas, Barbados and Jamaica.

The release names the family resorts in the pipeline. Beaches, the family brand, has resorts in Negril and Turks and Caicos and is coming soon to Exuma, Barbados, Runaway Bay and Saint Vincent and The Grenadines. In Travelweek's account, the company's Beaches 2.0 focus comes with a US$1 billion investment in new Beaches Resorts properties, including Exuma, Barbados and Saint Vincent.

Most of the current business is couples resorts, and the presentation counts 5,062 keys in the adults-only Sandals brand and 1,093 in Beaches, and all four new resorts named in the release carry the Beaches family brand. The release lists waterparks and Kids Camps among Beaches features.

Existing resorts are getting work too. In Stewart's words, every existing resort is being upgraded or is about to be, in some cases with work worth hundreds of millions of US dollars. He did not disclose the total cost.

Please note that employment of nonresidents of Caribbean countries requires a work permit which is granted by the relevant government, according to the Sandals employment page.

What Do the Plans for Exuma Show About Jobs?

The Exuma project comes with official figures, because the Bahamas government has published its own. When Sandals Emerald Bay closed for conversion in August 2024, the Bahamas tourism ministry counted some 425 Bahamians employed at the resort, about 200 of them from Exuma.

That statement set out what those workers could expect. Dozens were to be retained to secure the site, one-on-one meetings covered options including skeleton crews and transfers to Turks and Caicos properties, and a jobs and entrepreneurship fair was set for Exuma residents. At the time, the ministry projected the finished resort would employ more than 850 people.

The figures grew with a heads of agreement, which the government had signed by the time The Tribune covered it on November 22, 2025. At that signing, the project was expected to employ 450 people during construction and more than 900 once the resort is fully operational. The work was due to go to tender in the first quarter of 2026, with a goal to finish by the end of 2027.

The signing also brought news on training and housing.

• Apprenticeships. Sandals partnered with L.N. Coakley High School on a paid traineeship programme offering 25 apprenticeships when the property reopens.
• Training abroad. An exchange initiative will let Bahamians train at Sandals resorts across the Caribbean.
• Staff housing. The first phase includes more than 100 staff accommodations, and Tourism Minister Chester Cooper acknowledged that housing has long been an issue in Exuma.

How Many Jobs Could Saint Vincent See?

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has the biggest job figure of the projects covered here. In October 2025, Stewart signed an agreement with the government for a roughly 500-room, US$500 million Beaches resort at Mt Wynne, with design work to begin in 2026.

The resort is expected to employ nearly 2,000 Vincentians once fully operational. It follows the Sandals resort at Buccament Bay, which opened in March 2024 after the company switched its original Beaches plan there to a Sandals.

Vincentian workers already move across the group. At that signing, the company counted over 150 Vincentians working across four Caribbean islands, with 250 more set to train in Turks and Caicos ahead of the new Beaches opening there.

Design work was only due to begin in 2026, and the signing coverage gave no opening date for the Mt Wynne resort.

Will Current Sandals Staff Keep Their Jobs?

Stewart's message was that the brands and management team would stay intact. His words to the travel trade were Our general managers remain, our sales team remains, everyone remains, and he called it a growth platform rather than a slash and burn.

Sandals will also keep owning its hotels rather than move to the management-only model most global chains use. Royal Caribbean expects to book its share as an unconsolidated equity-method investment, so Sandals will not be folded into the cruise group's accounts.

Stewart also ruled out day passes, with no plan for cruise ship passengers to come to the hotels on day passes. These are statements of plan from the company, and the deal still has to close, but nothing in the filing or the presentation points to job cuts.

Who Can Apply, and Do You Need a Work Permit?

The company's resort employment page sets a local-first rule. Hiring nonresidents of Caribbean countries needs a work permit from the relevant government, and work permits are only made available for positions which cannot be filled locally.

That rule applies to hiring at its Caribbean resorts. The permit requirement on the Sandals employment page is written for nonresidents, and it limits their permits to jobs no local candidate can fill.

The group's head office also sits in the region. Sandals Resorts International is based in Montego Bay and handles resort development, service standards, training and day-to-day operations for the brands.

Anyone new to resort work can read up on working at a hotel and the careers inside it while the new projects are named.

Where Does Sandals Post Its Jobs?

The company's employer page on a regional jobs board shows what hiring looked like at the time of writing. The CaribbeanJobs employer page for Sandals listed a Financial Controller in Westmoreland and a Food and Beverage Director in St. Ann, both updated on September 17, 2026.

Both are senior roles, and neither listing names a resort. Neither listing ties a role to the new hotels, which fits the lack of a timeline. The Sandals employment page links to resort vacancies, so that is the first place to check as projects are named.

Bartenders applying for line roles can start by writing a bartender resume objective that leads with guest service.

Current employees of Sandals Emerald Bay will be given priority consideration for employment at Beaches Exuma, according to the Bahamas tourism ministry's August 2024 statement.

What Is Still Unknown About the 7,000 Jobs?

Quite a lot, and it is worth being clear about it. Stewart gave no word on which countries the new jobs will be in, which projects they belong to or when they will be filled. How many will sit outside the Caribbean is also unknown.

The new destinations are also unnamed. Some new hotels may be on our doorstep, in Stewart's words, and more announcements are promised. Trevello Travel Group CEO Zeina Gedeon has floated places such as Costa Rica, Asia and Europe, but that is her wish list, not a company plan.

The local project figures above are not a breakdown of the company-wide total. They come from different dates, some count construction and some count hotel staff, and the Exuma and Saint Vincent numbers were given before this deal was signed. Treat each as a separate local estimate.

What This Means for Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

Our take is that this is a long-term pipeline for Caribbean hospitality workers, not a hiring wave with open applications. The strongest signal is the company's own rule that work permits go only to roles that cannot be filled locally, which favours local candidates over nonresidents for roles at its Caribbean resorts.

The resorts with the clearest dates are the ones to watch. Exuma aims to finish by the end of 2027, and the Saint Vincent resort is only in design from 2026.

Here is what we would do:

• Get inside the group now. Transfers and training at other resorts have been part of recent closures and openings, from Exuma workers offered transfers to Turks and Caicos in 2024 to Vincentians training in Turks and Caicos ahead of a launch.
• Watch the resort-level announcements. Stewart promised further announcements, and the Exuma and Saint Vincent job figures above both came out at project signings.
• Look at construction and trades first. In Stewart's words, every existing resort is being upgraded or is about to be, and the Exuma project alone is expected to employ 450 people during construction.
• Family resort skills are a plus. All four new resorts named in the release are Beaches properties, and the brand's waterparks and Kids Camps are built for families, so childcare, lifeguard and activities experience fits them.
• Do not count on the deal until it closes. The purchase still needs customary approvals and closing conditions, so plan your next move on the projects already under way.

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People Also Asked

Q: How many jobs is Sandals creating?

A: Sandals plans 7,000 new jobs at new hotels, some outside the Caribbean, but it has not broken them down by country, project or timeline.

Q: Has Royal Caribbean bought Sandals?

A: Not yet. Royal Caribbean Group agreed to buy a 50% stake for approximately $3 billion, and the deal is expected to close in early 2027 subject to approvals.

Q: Can people from outside the Caribbean work at Sandals?

A: Yes, but only with a work permit from the relevant government, and work permits are only made available for positions which cannot be filled locally.

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