A group of Mexican investors called Tenedora K purchased a 95% stake in Nuevo Grupo Aeronautico SA, the holding company for the airline Compania Mexicana de Aviacion, according to reports by Reuters and Bloomberg. The pilots union now holds the remaining 5%.

Mexicana, Mexico’s biggest airline as measured by passengers flown, filed for protection from creditors in Mexico and under Chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on Aug. 3 after executives said they had failed to reach cost-saving agreements with labor unions, reported Bloomberg.  The purchase includes Mexicana as domestic airlines Mexicana Click and Mexicana Link.

Mexicana Chief Executive Officer Manuel Borjo Chico left his post on Aug. 20, and Tenedora K named a new company director, said Fernando Perfecto, secretary general of the pilots’ union, according to reports.

The 74-suite Royal Plantation Ocho Rios will become Sandals Royal Plantation and will no longer offer a European Plan or accept singles.

The resort will remain open during the transition and guest services will not be interrupted, Stewart said.

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Josef Zellner       

                                                Hotel Manager                   Arnold Nugent

                                                Sales Manager                   Gavene Gordon

                •              As a reminder, water skiing is available at this resort

                •              The Skydome was given a new, contemporary look.  The improvements include new chairs, the

                                banquets seats being re-wrapped and the ceiling of the area upholstered

•              New teak beach chairs were placed on the main pool deck and on the swim-up pool deck

•              The pool tables were refurbished – bases refinished and inlays reupholstered

•              Awnings were installed over the windows of rooms on the Oleander block

•              A new Surround Sound system has been installed at the Main Bar, Beach Bar, Lobby, Port Cochere,

Stew Fish Restaurant, Oleander Room, Cucina Romana, Bayside Restaurant and the Pool Table

area

•              Cottage 5 (Bay Roc Villas Presidential Beachfront One Bedroom Suites) was refurbished – the cottage

                was re-roofed, painted and soft furnishings changed

•              The saunas, the small pool and the whirlpool by the gym have been renovated

SANDALS CARLYLE

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Cheryl Brown

                                                Hotel Manager                   Lisa Gardner

SANDALS ROYAL CARIBBEAN RESORT & PRIVATE ISLAND

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Louis Grant
                                                Hotel Manager                   Justin deBeer

                                                Sales Manager                   Stayciann Smith

                •              The Roehampton Lawn now boasts a new life-size chess court and a shuffle board court

•              The main stage on Sandals Cay was relocated (a new one was put up), thereby giving the cabana

                area more beach

•              Twelve of the fourteen Royal Beachfront Suites (RS) by the Balmoral Block (2nd floor) were refurbished. Work done includes: repainted walls, new drapes and plasma televisions installed

•              All sixteen Royal Grande Luxe Beachfront Rooms (GB) in the Sandringham building were refurbished.  Work done includes repainted walls, new drapes, new AC units, the doors now use swipe keys instead of the normal keys and plasma televisions were also put in the rooms

SANDALS GRANDE OCHO RIOS BEACH & VILLA GOLF RESORT

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager                              Brian Roper

                                                Hotel Manager                                   Clive Miller & Sergio Albergo

                                                Sales Manager                                   Shellie-Ann Norton

•              All rooms were enhanced by the addition of new luxurious soft furnishings (duvets, bolster pillows, shams and throw cushions)

•              New elevators were installed on the Bamboo Grove and on the Riviera Building (1 each).

•              The Manor Restaurant has an updated look now that the tables and chairs have been repainted

•              The Manor Patio has been re-tiled

•              Four Honeymoon Luxury Cottages (GL) were completely refurbished (painted, retiled, new glass panel sliding doors, wooden molding installed, ceramic tile counter top in bathrooms, automatic controlled air conditioning units installed, mahogany furniture, new landscaping and the roof changed

•              Villa 49 (4 Oceanview Grand Luxe Plantation Villa One Bedroom Suites with Pool and Butler Service) was refurbished – pool area resurfaced, stairs varnished, split ac units installed, I-pod docking station put in, interior and exterior repainted and the grounds landscaped

•              All rooms and suites now receive turndown service in the evenings

SANDALS NEGRIL BEACH RESORT & SPA

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Carl Beviere

                                                Hotel Manager                   Jens Havlicek

                                                Sales Manager                   Jeffrey Burke

•              Five new Beach huts have been placed on the beach

•              Beds in all guest rooms now have duvets

•              The Main Bar has received an upgrade to the décor; the Piano Bar pool deck received new wooden

                lounge chairs

•              The late night chocolate buffet is now done on Friday nights instead of on Wednesday nights; the

                beach party is now themed “Buccaneer Beach Bash” and takes place on Mondays

•              New drapes were placed in all the Honeymoon Beachfront Suites (HS)

•              As a reminder, water skiing is available at this resort

SANDALS WHITEHOUSE EUROPEAN VILLAGE & SPA

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Koen De Rijcke

Hotel Manager                   Patrick Drake

                                                Sales Manager                   Glendon Lowe

•              The resort now boasts an Island Routes desk from which we offer our guests the opportunity to

                experience off-resort excursions

•              As a reminder, water skiing is available at this resort

•              The pool deck at the French Village has new pool chairs, improving the ambiance and providing

more areas for our guests to relax

•              All rooms received new bedding (white duvets and white pillow shams)

SANDALS HALCYON BEACH ST. LUCIA

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Lennox Dupal

Hotel Manager                   Meir Bitton

                                                Sales Manager                   Nadia Augustin

•              As a reminder, water skiing is available at this resort

SANDALS REGENCY LA TOC GOLF RESORT & SPA IN ST. LUCIA

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Michael James

                                                Hotel Manager                   Christopher Elliot

•              Set overlooking the beach, with no walls to muffle the crescendo of the crashing waves, Neptune’s

(formerly OK Corral) offers classic Mediterranean cuisine.  Diners will delight in Neptune’s casual European elegance, served a la carte.  Restaurant is open for lunch (11am to 5pm) and for dinner from 6:30 to 9:30pm

•              The Sunset Royal Oceanfront One Bedroom Two Story Villa Suite with Pool (BP) has been upgraded with new soft furnishings, chic new décor, plasma televisions in the upstairs area and new furniture

•              The Honeymoon Oceanview One Bedroom Suites (BO) and the Luxury Rooms (LX) have been upgraded

                with new decor, furniture and soft furnishings as well as completely renovated bathrooms

•              The Sunset Honeymoon Oceanfront One Bedroom Villa Suite with Pool (BS) category has been

                upgraded  

SANDALS GRANDE ST. LUCIAN SPA & BEACH RESORT

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Winston Anderson

Hotel Manager                   Paul Simoes

                                                Sales Manager                   Daly Mariatte

•              Toscanini Restaurant now requires reservations.  The restaurant opens for the first seating at 6pm with subsequent seatings every half hour.  The last seating is at 8:30 pm

•              The Grande Street Party is now an officially scheduled event at the resort, taking place every Thursday in the main car park.  The car park is transformed to resemble a real “island street party” with stalls offering various local and Caribbean-inspired cuisine. The party goes from 6:30 to 10:30pm

•              As a reminder, water skiing is available at this resort

SANDALS GRANDE ANTIGUA RESORT & SPA

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Gerald Christ

                                                Hotel Manager                   Cletus Pancham & Matthew Cornall

                                                Sales Manager                   Ezra Knowles

•              The furniture in the Caribbean Grove Lobby and the Crystal Lounge have all been reupholstered and refinished. Both areas have been repainted and now boast sophisticated color schemes. A new chandelier has been placed inside the lobby area

•              All Honeymoon Oceanview Suites (HS) have been fully refurbished (marble counter tops, elevated

                Marble face bowls, soft décor, whirlpool tubs, flat screen television, marble top television unit,

                marble counter top bar unit)

•              The Sundowner Bar has been re-tiled

•              Barefoot by the Sea Restaurant now offers new menu options for lunch and The O.K. Corral now                 boasts new dinner menu options

•              The Courtyard Bistro offers salads, wraps and other light fare.

SANDALS ROYAL BAHAMIAN SPA RESORT & OFFSHORE ISLAND

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Jeremy Mutton

                                                Hotel Manager                   Ken Flockhart & Kressville Ritchie

                                                Sales Manager                   Cheddi Brown

•              The fitness center has been repainted, mirrors were replaced, new tile was installed in the entrance and stairs as well as new EverLast sports flooring installed in the gym itself. Brand new Life Fitness equipment and free weights have been installed. The teak furniture on the gym patio has been refinished. The television has been removed from the fitness center, instead clients will need to take along their earphones and plug it into the equipment some of which have built in screens.

•           Six new Balinese-style gazebos have been added at Sandals Cay.  They have wooden flooring, built-in double chaise lounges and thatch roofing and will provide additional lounging areas for our guests.

SANDALS EMERALD BAY, GREAT EXUMA, BAHAMAS

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              John Keating

                                                Hotel Manager                   Cinzia Saccani & Kevin Clarke

                                                Sales Manager                   Suelin Simpson

•              Barefoot Restaurant now serves a “beach grill’ menu featuring hot dogs, hamburgers, jerk chicken,

conch salads, etc.  Guests dining by the Pool and the Beach order from this menu as well.

•              Bahama Bay Restaurant now serves a full buffet breakfast and lunch menu.  The Restaurant also

offers the following dinner dining options:

o        an a la carte menu on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays

o        a buffet on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays 

o        closed on Saturdays.

BEACHES TURKS & CAICOS RESORT VILLAGES & SPA

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Donald Dagenais

Hotel Manager                   Adrian Whitehead

Sales Manager                   Tanya Pratt Swann

•              In the Parrot Cay Honeymoon One Bedroom Suite (H1) category, all double pull out sofa beds have

                been replaced with trundle beds.  These suites are located on the 1st and 2nd floor of the Parrot

                Cay Villas, in the Caribbean Village

•              All the furniture at the Main Stage was re-painted and a standard bar is being set-up at the main

            stage every night while the show is going on

•              The waterslides at Bobby Dees were repainted

•              Bellinis Gazebo and Kelly’s Lobby Bar (both in the Italian Village) received new cushions/cushion

                covers

BEACHES BOSCOBEL RESORT & GOLF CLUB

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Howard Spittle

Hotel Manager                   Caroline Cousins

                                                Sales Manager                   Ruth Garnett

BEACHES NEGRIL RESORT & SPA

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Rainer Auckenthaler

Hotel Manager                   Catherine Massey

                                                Sales Manager                   Iesha Samuels

•              As a reminder, water skiing is available at this resort

•              Kimonos Restaurant is no longer open for lunch

•              Café Carnival no longer offers dinner service

•              The Seville Restaurant serves authentic Italian cuisine with white-gloved service for families four nights per week. Families with children 6-years-old and younger dine from 5:00pm-6:30pm while families with children 12 yrs and older dine from 6:30pm onwards. No reservations required and the restaurant is open 6 nights per week.   The other 2 nights are “adult only nights”.

BEACHES SANDY BAY

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Brian Sang

Hotel Manager                   O’Brian Heron

                                                Sales Manager                   Nicholas Watson

•              As a reminder, water skiing is available at this resort     

GRAND PINEAPPLE BEACH NEGIL
•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Junior Gordon  

Hotel Manager                   Sheldon James

•              The dining room has been enhanced with the recent refinishing of the rattan chairs with new

                cushions

                •              A spa tent has been erected on the beach giving guests the opportunity of having some services

                                done beachside

                •              New molding strips have been installed in the Garden Manor rooms and the furniture has been

refinished

                •              All balcony chairs on the Beachside Manor block have been re-upholstered

•              The Front Desk has been updated with a mahogany stain finish

GRAND PINEAPPLE BEACH ANTIGUA            

•              Management Review:

                                                General Manager              Courtney Miller

Hotel Manager                   Gerald McKitty

                                                Sales Manager                   Sanjay Ambrose

                •              12 Beachfront Rooms have been upgraded;   These upgrades include:

                                                - repainting (interior and exterior) and re-tiling

                                                - mahogany entrance doors and sliding doors on the beachfront side

                                                - local artwork and espresso-brown rattan furnishings

                                                - new bathroom hardware

                                                - soft furnishing upgrades (bedding, drapes)

                                                - mini refrigerators

                                                - CD alarm clocks and eco-friendly air conditioning units

CALL PENNY TODAY FOR A DISCOUNTED RATES (888) 336-8133

In order to continue to offer our mutual guests complimentary greens fees during their stays, we are pleased to announce a new deal that has been finalized with Playa Paraiso golf course. Spanning over 6,800 yards, this 18-hole course was designed by P.B. Dye and offers a lighted and covered driving range, pro shop, club and shoe rental services, restaurant and snack bar.

Details on the new offer are as follows:

*Tee times scheduled before 1:00PM are surcharged at $35 per person, plus the cost of the cart.

*Guests will have access to the complimentary on-course food and beverage service provided by Playa Paraiso.

*Guests must arrange their tee time in advance with the resort concierge and provide a credit card when doing so. If guests wish to cancel or reschedule their tee time, they must do so at least 24 hours in advance to avoid a $100 no-show penalty per person which will be charged to the credit card they have provided.

Please note the only real change is the golf course and the Playa Paraiso course is excellent!!

The resort is near Puerto Morelos, about a 15-minute drive from Cancun Airport. Its oceanfront setting features a collection of pools, Bali beds and palapas.

The Now Sapphire offers six a la carte restaurants and seven bars where no reservations or wristbands are required. Now also features a spa, and its Explorers’ Club caters to guests ages 3 to 12 with dedicated facilities and fully supervised activities.

The first Now Resort & Spa, the Now Jade Riviera Cancun (formerly Now Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa), opened in January. Each Now resort will showcase its own identity by using the names of gemstones, according to the company.

The brand concept includes oversize guest rooms and suites with ocean views and private terraces; WiFi; flat-screen TVs with surround-sound systems; minibars; 24-hour room service and concierge service; multiple gourmet dining offerings; and full-service spa and fitness facilities.

The Now Resorts & Spas brand is the newest in the AMResorts family, which also include Zoetry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets Resorts & Spas and Dreams Resorts & Spas.

 Sandals Grande St. Lucian

The Cancun Underwater Museum’s sculptures rest on the sea floor of Mexico’s Marine National Park, located on the west coast of Isla Mujeres. The island is about a 20-minute ferry ride from Cancun.

Marine park authorities conceived the museum as a way of protecting the region’s natural coral reef habitats, by offering some of the 750,000 annual visitors who snorkel and dive in the area another underwater point of interest.

The $350,000 project started in November with three sculptures by British artist Jason de Caires Taylor.

Among those initial pieces was “Dream Collector,” which contains bottles that hold messages of hope from around the world. One of the messages, penned by Roberto Diaz, president of the Cancun Underwater Museum, reads: “May our hearts never become as hard as our heads.”

The second artwork, “Man on Fire,” features 75 holes planted with fire coral, and the third, “The Gardener of Hope,” depicts a young girl lying on a garden patio.
All were constructed with PH-neutral concrete that will allow algae and small invertebrates to flourish. The sculptures are designed to change appearance over time as coral and marine life grow around them.

Eventually, artificial reefs will also grow around them, in a boost to the local ecosystem, according to the Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Dozens more sculptures, all submerged from 9 to 20 feet, are planned for installation in the coming weeks, according to the bureau. There should be 250 in place by the end of April.

Each work of art will be mounted on a base of four square meters and installed in themed galleries, most devoted to ecological conservation.

Taylor, who is supervising the artwork, also created an underwater sculpture park in Grenada, West Indies, in 2006.

The Cancun project is expected to be far larger than that museum, with 400 sculptures when complete.