Arawak Hotel → Jamaica Hilton Hotel → Eden II → Sandals Dunn's River Villaggio → Jewel Dunn's River Beach Resort → Sandals Dunn's River
Dunn's River
Arawak Hotel.
- Opened in December 1957 with 178 rooms, and was the Jamaica's largest hotel at the time, and the largest resort hotel in the British West Indies. On one of the finest beaches on the north coast. Mr. Chuck Orenstein was managing director.
- In Summer 1963 it became the Jamaica Hilton Hotel. One early postcard had Arawak-Hilton Hotel, then it switched to Jamaica Hilton.
- In December 1984 the hotel opened as the Eden II (or Eden 2 Hotel), an all-inclusive couples only resort. It was leased by the connections of Americana Hotel in Ocho Rios.
- In August 1986 the hotel reported 55% occupancy.
- In August 1989 the hotel closed and 300 workers were let go. The now bankrupt hotel lessee, Americana Jamaica Beach Venture, may not have put any funds into escrow.
- In August 1989, the Sagicor Fund of Life of Jamaica, Danny Williams's company, has purchased the hotel. The price was US$10 million for a 265-room hotel and 20 acres of land. He hires Sandals to run it.
- In 1991 it became Sandals Dunn's River Villaggio Golf Resort & Spa. Sagicor Fund's contract with Sandals's ended March 31, 2010. It had 256 rooms.
- On August 1, 2010 it became The Jewel Dunn's River Beach Resort & Spa.
- In 2018 Sagicor sold the hotel to Playa Hotels & Resorts.
- In May 2020, losing money from the pandemic, it was sold to Sandals. Plans are to renovate it and brand it as Sandals Dunn’s River. The façades of the buildings are being totally overhauled. No more plain façades. Lots of architectural whimsy. It will feature 48 signature SkyPool suites, a first for Jamaica, which will feature a private cantilevered, solar-heated plunge pool with infinity edge. Completion was targeted for May 2023. See rendering in Photos section
- The hotel is now open. See the hotel's site.
- [Wikimapia]
