Jamaica Hotel Reopenings After Hurricane Melissa

Published on Nov 6, 2025, 2:27 pm CST

4 min read

Jamaica's hotel recovery after Hurricane Melissa is uneven across the island, with Ocho Rios and Negril bringing inventory back quickly while several Montego Bay and South Coast properties remain on longer timelines. Sandals will reopen five resorts on December 6, Hyatt's Inclusive Collection has paused operations and new bookings into late January, and independent luxury hotels have posted a mix of near-term and phased restarts. Meanwhile, Jamaica's tourism ministry has stood up a dedicated recovery task force and is targeting December 15 for broad industry operation.

Sandals, Hyatt, and independent luxury timelines

Sandals Resorts International plans to welcome guests back to five properties on December 6, specifically Sandals Dunn's River, Sandals Ochi, Sandals Royal Plantation, Sandals Negril, and Beaches Negril. Three other Sandals properties, Sandals Montego Bay, Sandals Royal Caribbean, and Sandals South Coast, require more extensive work and are slated to reopen May 30, 2026. The company also noted its Montego Bay call center was impacted, so expect longer hold times during the transition.

Hyatt's Inclusive Collection has suspended operations in Jamaica and paused new bookings through January 31, 2026 across eight Montego Bay area resorts, including Breathless Montego Bay, Dreams Rose Hall, Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall, Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall, Secrets St. James Montego Bay, Secrets Wild Orchid Montego Bay, Jewel Grande Montego Bay, and Zoëtry Montego Bay. Hyatt has issued flexible policies, including waiving cancellation fees and refunding prepaid amounts for affected stays.

Montego Bay's luxury set is staggering reopenings. Half Moon has published a December 15 target with a phased plan, initially bringing back Eclipse at Half Moon and the Villas at Half Moon. Round Hill Hotel & Villas is aiming for December 8 and says it will open earlier if feasible as power, roads, and services come back online.

On the island's eastern side, GoldenEye sustained minimal damage and reopened November 6. In Ocho Rios, Moon Palace Jamaica reported limited interruption and is hosting guests, though a spokesperson noted limited commercial flight availability during the ramp-up period.

Latest developments

To synchronize the restart, the Ministry of Tourism activated a Hurricane Melissa Recovery Task Force alongside a Tourism Resilience Coordination Committee. Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has publicly set a goal for the sector to be "fully back in operation" by December 15, the start of peak season, while acknowledging progress will vary by property and region.

Analysis

For travelers, the pattern is clear, Ocho Rios and Negril are opening first, followed by phased Montego Bay returns as power, staff housing, and airport capacity stabilize. If your stay is affected at a shuttered resort, ask for rebooking at an open sister property, or invoke the supplier's current waiver, refund, or credit policy. Hyatt's Jamaica page, for example, outlines fee waivers and refunds on direct bookings through January 31, 2026, while independent hotels such as Half Moon detail deposit flexibility during the recovery window.

Flight access will remain lumpy while carriers rebuild schedules into Sangster International. Properties are already noting that flights can be limited during the ramp-up; if you cannot find seats to Montego Bay, consider Kingston as a backup and ask your hotel for approved transfer options. National reporting underscores the scale of the damage on the island's western side, which is why some marquee resorts have longer repair timelines than properties in Ocho Rios or Negril.

Final thoughts

Jamaica hotel reopenings will accelerate through December as infrastructure recovers and flight capacity rebuilds, but your experience will depend on the region and the supplier. Use the specific dates above, confirm your flights, and keep a flexible plan while the Hurricane Melissa task force works toward the December 15 target.