LIDO RESORTS IN JAMAICA PLANS TO MAKE MORE ROOM

A Story by Sally Shiv

If you’re paying close attention to the Jamaican market, you’ll notice there’s a lot more Lido to sell lately. ‘We’ve effectively doubled the size of the Lido chain this year,” noted Joe Issa, senior

If you’re paying close attention to the Jamaican market, you’ll notice there’s a lot more Lido to sell lately. ‘We’ve effectively doubled the size of the Lido chain this year,” noted Joe Issa, senior vice president of SuperClubs.

The current room count of 310 will be increased by another 278 before the end of the year, thanks to additions at the existing facilities (Grand Lido and Sans Souci Lido) and" most notably " the conversion of Braco Village Resort in Rio Bueno, Jamaica, to the SuperClubs Grand Lido brand by Nov. 1.

Issa said Braco’s unique style " it’s fashioned after an old-fashioned Jamaican village, complete with town square "is a big selling point. “It’s like going back in time,” he said. “It’s like Main Street Jamaica; what Jamaica used to be in the 1920s has been reconstructed.

“The [Braco Village] design was the design we’d hoped to do back in 1979 in Negril,” he noted, referring to what is now known as Hedonism II. “At the time, we didn’t have the funds. It’s interesting that 20 years later, we find ourselves with [Braco Village].”

Issa said he is confident of SuperClubs’ ability to make Braco a success. “We are a very efficiently run, aggressive company that has a record of delivering above-average returns. We have an impeccable track record in that regard.”

Changes already are under way at the property. On June 16, SuperClubs management took over the resort. To upgrade the property to Grand Lido standards, new services are being added, including 24-hour room service and valet and laundry service. Issa said that some cosmetic changes also are being implemented.

Braco Pebbles, which has been under construction since January, is being incorporated into Grand Lido Braco. The addition will feature 52 suites and will be completed by September.

With about 80 acres and 232 rooms and suites, Grand Lido Braco will be the largest property in the chain.

Guests at the resort can play golf on the 18-hole course at Breezes Golf & Beach Resort in Runaway Bay, or Braco’s own nine-hole course.

In addition to lying on a 2,000-foot private beach or splashing in the village pool, resort activities include scuba diving, windsurfing, sailing, kayaking and snorkelling, as well as tennis, soccer and volleyball.

Issa said the newest Lido will be marketed in a similar fashion to the two existing Lidos in Jamaica. “The three Lidos on the island will form a series of very unique, five-star properties,” he explained. For more information, call 800-GO-SUPER.