KINGSTON, Jamaica, Tuesday December 18, 2018 – Jamaican-based luxury resort operator, Sandals Resorts, is denying allegations that it is covering up sexual assaults at its hotels.

“Recent allegations of cover-ups by our organization are false and are gross misrepresentations of not only the facts but who we are and what we stand for as a leader in the industry,” it insisted in a statement yesterday.

The Butch Stewart-founded company that boasts of leading the industry with the highest guest return rate of any resort company in the western hemisphere – which it says is partly as a result of “the safe and enjoyable environment that we have provided for over three decades” – is defending itself on the heels of allegations that it has been trying to silence tourists’ claims of sexual assault.

Some of the allegations were made in a report aired yesterday on US-based ABC Network, in which make-up artist Melissa Blayton alleged that when she was a guest at a Sandals property in Ocho Rios, Jamaica last year, one of the hotel’s employees sexually assaulted her during a solo sailing lesson. Couple Jeff and Ashley Pascarella also claimed that when they went to Sandals Royal Bahamian to get married in 2016, the butler assigned to them sexually assaulted the bride the night before their wedding.

In both cases, the alleged victims said they were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Blayton was given a voucher for future stay, which she has not used. In the case of the Pascarellas, they refused to sign the NDA to get the refund they were offered, and are instead suing Sandals for US$30 million.

“While no guest should ever experience what these women allege to have happened, the story on ABC’s Good Morning America did not include important and pertinent information about both cases, much of which we can’t disclose due to pending litigation,” the Sandals statement said.

“Our strict security protocols, infrastructure technology and collaboration with international law enforcement and government resources ensure we are among the safest resorts operating in the Caribbean. We follow strict protocols and continue to evolve our policies,” it added.