Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lord’s Castle Resort. It’s a lengthy name for a Caribbean resort, but one which encapsulates both its sense of history and the kudos of a big hitter in hospitality.
Petra Roach, who spent nearly two decades at Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, has recently become director of sales and marketing for the resort, and her appointment is a signal of intent for the resort's ambitions. As a former CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority, what Petra doesn’t know about Caribbean tourism is not worth knowing.
The 422-guest room Sam Lord's Castle Resort is brand new, built from scratch and opened in late 2023.
“It’s off the beaten path, and it’s beautiful,” Roach tells me when we sit down to talk about her plans for marketing the resort.
The story of Sam Lord as a fabled pirate who plundered shipwrecks is ingrained into Barbados, and his links with the resort are augmented by his castle that acts as a resort landmark. It’s now in ruins, but is part of the Barbados National Trust and “at some stage, there will be investment to bring this back to life,” says Roach.
The resort is situated on the south-eastern Atlantic side of the island, where the seas are rougher and swimming is not recommended. “But the air you breathe is super clean, there’s nothing between the resort and Africa. It’s a place to slow down, to recalibrate,” she says.
And the resort offer is tailored for exactly that, with wellness peppered throughout, from a 24/7 fitness centre and a luxury spa developed with ESPA to healthy menu options and experts on hand for tailored programmes.
Although the resort is managed by Wyndham, it is owned by the Barbadian government and community is another key theme.
“Community is central to what we do,” explains Roach. “In the spa we are working with locals, who make their own scrubs with all natural ingredients. And we’re introducing sunrise walks on the beach where guests can sit down with local artists and capture the views.”
Six local schools have each worked on a different mural, to decorate six floors of a central staircase, while Fulbright scholar Sheena Rose, a contemporary artist from Barbados, has been commissioned to paint bespoke artwork for the suites.
“By making all our suites original, we hope to build a family of repeat guests, who will request a particular suite for their stay,” says Roach.
“We really want to lean into the arts and heritage; it’s an important part of the DNA of the hotel,” she continues. “We want to evolve our artist retreats and photographer retreats – we offer easy access to some of the most beautiful locations in Barbados.”
Other trends that Roach hopes that Sam Lord’s Castle Resort can tap into include multi-generational travel for celebratory reasons, whether that be weddings, vow renewals, birthdays and anniversaries. “We’re noticing that 60 is the new 50,” she says. “It’s become a milestone that people want to celebrate with loved ones.”
She also believes a strong value message will work in the resort’s favour, with its all-inclusive offering covering a range of options from fine dining to poolside food trucks: “You could eat lobster every night of the week if you wanted,” she says.
Roach wants to grow the British market, which is currently around 20% of the total guestbook, as Brits tend to stay for longer, booking eight to nine nights on average.
“We’ll be working with the Barbados Tourism Authority next year on travel agent fam trips, and we’re also working with My Booking Rewards to get as many agents as possible to experience the resort first-hand.”
