Sandals accused of cover-up

GUESTS at Sandals resorts in Jamaica have been raped by staff after being drugged, held down or threatened at gunpoint, the USA Today newspaper has alleged.

Worse, the hotel chain was accused of covering up the complaints, even to the tune of buying off complainants with cash sums or extended stays, or cajoling them into signing non-disclosure agreements. Horror stories included an 18-year-old au pair from South Africa who was drugged by a bartender and raped by a guest, only for her American host family to be paid US$25,000 and to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

Opposition spokesman on Tobago Ramona Ramdial feared fallout from Jamaican incidents might hurt the prospects of a Tobago Sandals.

The article said in the past seven years 78 US citizens had been raped in Jamaica, a rate of about one a month.

The story said Sandals listed their safeguards as CCTV staffed 24 hours by uniformed officers, background checks on staff, a zero-tolerance policy for staff fraternisation with guests, and mandatory sexual harassment training. They denied intimidating guests to not lodge complaints.

At present the Government is in talks to set up a Sandals in Tobago.

Newsday asked if the Sandals scandals in Jamaica could taint the prospects of the hotel in Tobago, by the assaults happening and by claims of a cover-up.

Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell had not seen the article.

He said, “I can’t give assurances that people won’t behave badly. You are saying an employee went on a frolic of his own, as they say in law, to commit an assault that was outside the job he was employed to do. I can’t give you an assurance that won’t happen in Trinidad.

“However, I am sure Sandals would not condone such a thing.”

He referred Newsday to Stuart Young. who is handling the Sandals project and who is Minister of National Security, plus the Tobago House of Assembly (THA), which under the THA Act is responsible for tourism in Tobago. Newsday could reach neither Young nor THA chairman Kelvin Charles.

Ramdial said the series of scandals says a lot about the hiring, training and security policies of Sandals.

“For the security protocols to be breached by Sandals employees is crazy,” said the Couva North MP. “The Sandals brand itself is very much affected when issues like this are circulated worldwide.” The assaults raised the question of whether staff were hired by Sandals or by a company contracted to do so.

“I’d like to think Sandals would have take responsibility by firing the employee or taking court action, or re-looking at how they hire people.”

Given the allegations against Sandals in Jamaica, Ramdial asked whether Tobago must accept all of Sandals operating policies, or TT could craft its own clauses into the deal to hold Sandals culpable. “We are not against Sandals coming to Tobago. We are against secrecy, lack of details and lack of clarity.”

Ramdial wondered if Sandals was still relevant in an age of Air BNB, where tourists sought a cheaper and more authentic experience.

She cited a top contractor’s concerns that Sandals could cost the Government as much as $10 billion to build, beyond the $3-$4 billion price-tag now touted.

Asking where aggregate will be sourced to build the 900-room resort, Randial said, “It’s not available in Tobago, so will probably by very costly. In Trinidad right now, you can’t even get red sand. We may have to import aggregate.”

Ramdial was also concerned about reports from Antigua and Barbados that after enjoying an initial 25-year tax break, Sandals may well seek a second tax-free period, of 15 years.

She said with the cost of the resort would also come the cost of upgrading the airbridge and seabridge by way of a new Tobago airport, new Toco port, two new ferries and a subsidy to Sunwing Airlines to fly to Tobago.

Ramdial also asked about an environmental cost if the resort’s construction involved mangrove destruction.

“We are very vulnerable to environment destruction. When you clear wetlands you are prone to natural disasters.”