When you stay at a Sandals resort, the experience can feel almost impossibly smooth. The service, the attention to detail, the way staff anticipate your needs before you’ve even asked — it’s the kind of thing that’s hard to articulate but instantly recognizable. Sandals calls it their “Service DNA,” and this week they celebrated it in the most Caribbean way possible: with a music competition.
Brent McMeo and Ahkim Baptiste of Sandals Grenada took home the grand prize of US$10,000 in Sandals’ inaugural Resort Riddims competition, winning with their original song, “The Sandals Way.”
What Is Resort Riddims?
Resort Riddims was Sandals’ first-ever internal music competition, inviting team members from across the company’s nine-country footprint to write and perform original songs capturing the essence of what Sandals calls its Service DNA — the mindset, behaviors, and culture that define how the brand serves its guests.
The competition began with preliminary rounds at each resort property, with teams competing locally before the top performers advanced to a grand finale. That finale was held at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort in Jamaica — a moment that blended the brand’s Caribbean identity with its people-first culture.
Celebrity judges made the event feel like a true celebration: reggae and dancehall singer Christopher Martin, Soca powerhouse Alison Hinds, and Sandals Executive Chairman Adam Stewart evaluated performances before awarding the top honor to the Grenada duo.
A Win for Sandals Grenada
It’s worth pausing on just how special this win is for Sandals Grenada. While Sandals Jamaica and Sandals Barbados often steal the headlines, Sandals Grenada — set on the stunning Pink Gin Beach on the island’s southwestern coast — is one of the brand’s most unique properties. Perched between volcanic peaks and the Caribbean Sea, the resort offers something the larger properties often can’t: a genuinely off-the-beaten-path Caribbean experience.
The island of Grenada itself — nicknamed the “Spice Isle” for its nutmeg and spice production — adds a layer of authenticity that guests looking beyond the typical beach resort often seek. The fact that McMeo and Baptiste captured the very spirit of the Sandals brand in song is a testament to how deeply the Sandals culture runs at this property.
What “The Sandals Way” Says About the Brand
For travelers who haven’t experienced Sandals firsthand, the Resort Riddims competition offers a window into what sets the brand apart. At a time when all-inclusive resorts are everywhere, Sandals has built a reputation for service that feels personal — not scripted. The whole premise of the contest was to celebrate the people behind those moments.
Sandals Executive Chairman Adam Stewart has been vocal about the brand’s Sandals 2.0 vision — a broader transformation that includes the $500 million Beaches resort planned for St. Vincent and major renovations across multiple Jamaica properties. Resort Riddims fits squarely into that vision: investing not just in infrastructure, but in culture and people.
Thinking About a Sandals Vacation?
If the Resort Riddims story has you dreaming about Grenada or any other Sandals property, our team at Pixie Vacations can help you plan the perfect Sandals getaway — at no cost to you. We’re Sandals Chairman’s Royal Club Platinum Elite advisors who have personally visited all 17 Sandals and Beaches properties.
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