Who Owns Couples Negril?

Who Owns Couples Negril? | (Photo: couples.com)

by Venesha Johnson | Associate Writer

Couples Negril is one of several Couples Resorts on the island and one of the most popular adult-only resorts. A little-known fact is that Couples Negril and all other resorts under the Couples brand are entirely family-owned.

Who owns Couples Negril?

Couples Negril

The Issa family is the owner of Couples resort which started with Abe Issa. For his work within the sector, he was appropriately dubbed "The Father of Jamaican Tourism." He recognised the significance of building resorts that are both opulent and authentic.

Abe established Tower Isle, Jamaica's first year-round resort, in 1949. Tower Isle was also the first hotel on the then undeveloped north coast.

Later, in 1978, he aspired to create an extraordinary vacation experience by fusing luxury and romance with value. Couples Ocho Rios is the new name of the Tower Isle resort, which Abe renamed after introducing the "all-inclusive, couples-only" concept to Jamaica. The Couples Resorts brand was erected on the foundation of this all-inclusive hotel.

Couples Resorts is a family-run company, even though young Abe served as its CEO. Abe and his brothers made several improvements to the brand over time, which contributed to its ongoing success.

Still, a family-run enterprise, Couples Resorts is now run by Lee Issa and other members of the Issa family. Abe's pioneering vision is carried on by the family and their committed team of management and staff, who are committed to giving every visitor to Couples Resorts an exceptional experience.

More about Abe Issa, the Founder of Couples
The Hon. Abraham Elias Issa CBE, is a Jamaican businessman, hotelier, and entrepreneur. He oversaw the rise and boom in Jamaican tourism in the late 1950s as the organisation's first president.

His work was not just in the tourism industry though, he had made huge strides in a variety of industries on the island and quite a few firsts as well.

His commercial successes include the:

• establishment of Jamaica's first contemporary department store (Issa's of King Street)
• the island's first shopping centres (Tropical Plaza at Half-Way-Tree and Liguanea Plazas)
• the first Jamaican supermarket (Hi-Lo at Cross Roads in Kingston)
• the country's first contemporary horse-racing track (Caymanas Park)
• a driving force behind the growth of New Kingston
• And of course, Jamaica’s first all-year-round hotel

Some of his awards and recognitions include:

• Issa received the designation of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1960 for his contributions to the tourism industry.
• In 1980, he received the Order of Jamaica (OJ) in honour of his innovative contributions to the growth of Jamaica's tourism sector.
• He received the Norman Manley Award for Excellence in the Tourism Field in 1984.
• He was hailed as "the Father of Jamaican Tourism" for his contribution to the development of the Jamaican Tourist Industry and was posthumously honoured by being featured on a Jamaican postage stamp in 2004.

Other Prominent Members of the Issa Family

Paul Issa- He is currently the deputy chairman of the House of Issa, which owns and runs Couples Resorts through its subsidiary Issa Hotels & Resorts Ltd. He serves as chairman of the Issa Foundation, Paul Issa Publications, and Kingston, Jamaica's Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts.

Lee Issa- Lee has established a reputation as one of Jamaican tourism's forerunners. In addition to being the founder and chairman of Lee's Fifth Avenue, one of Jamaica's largest retail chains, and the Chairman of the renowned Couples Resort chain, whose hotels have won the prestigious Green Globe award on numerous occasions, Lee's hotels are well-known throughout the world.

Jane Issa- The designer for all four couples' resorts.

Issa Trust Foundation

Couples Resorts established The Issa Trust Foundation as a nonprofit organization in 2005. The Foundation's goal is to support Jamaicans' development and well-being by offering a system of prevention, health promotion and education, community health improvement, and other services.

Together with other community resources, the Foundation works to create a setting that supports kids' educational needs. Together, they will support and advocate for families to give children a safe, nurturing, and long-term home through educational and professional programs.

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Return to Which Couples Resort is best? from Who Owns Couples Negril?
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References & Sources For Who Owns Couples Negril?

1. (no date) Issa Trust Foundation. Available at: https://issatrustfoundation.com/ (Accessed: October 19, 2022).
2. Abraham Elias Issa (2022) Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Elias_Issa (Accessed: October 19, 2022).
3. The history of Couples Resorts Jamaica (2022) Couples Resorts. Available at: https://couplesresorts.co.uk/blog/history-of-couples-resorts/ (Accessed: October 19, 2022).
4. Paul Issa (no date) Issa Trust Foundation. Available at: https://issatrustfoundation.com/?ch_staff=paul-issa (Accessed: October 19, 2022).

Who Owns Couples Negril? | Written: October 19, 2022

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