Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts has announced the indefinite closure of its Grand Jamaica and Luxury Runaway Bay properties following extensive damage from Hurricane Melissa. Both hotels had already been scheduled for extensive renovations before the storm, which caused “catastrophic damage to many parishes in Jamaica,” the company said in a memorandum to staff dated November 15, 2025.
The memo confirmed that the closures will result in job losses, noting: “The closure of the Hotels will occasion a redundancy exercise across both Hotels.” It added that the company “will do what we can to assist employees,” with arrangements for staff seeking alternative employment or requiring counselling.
Bahia Principe also pledged to maintain transparency during the process, stating it “will continue consultations with the Bustamante Industrial Trade Union throughout the process to ensure effective communication and complete transparency,” and that the company “will be closely monitoring the situation ongoingly, from the detailed technical assessment… and throughout the renovation and reconstruction which lie ahead.”
Days after the hurricane, Mayor of St. Ann’s Bay Michael Belnavis said that at least 2,000 hotel workers in the parish have lost their jobs since Melissa struck, underscoring the storm’s devastating impact on local employment.
