Trident Hotel & Villas

The Trident Hotel & Villas, Port Antonio.

In 1961, Earl Levy bought a rocky five-acre seaside property at Anchovy.
In 1967, Earl Levy and his wife, Beverley, built the hotel and transformed the rugged barren moonscape into a magical garden edged with small cottages.
In February 1968, the hotel opened for business.
In 1979, there were eight strutting peacocks mixing with guests on 11 acres with 19 units.
In August 1980, tidal waves from Hurricane Allen struck the hotel and it was almost totally devastated.
Eleven months later the peacocks and doves were back roaming the manicured gardens as if the hurricane had never been.
By 1985, the hotel had became a popular filming venue, including US television programs as "Saturday Magazine", "Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous" and "As the World Turns". The gardens provided the backdrop for numerous fashion catalogs and the hotel had been featured in more than 30 glossy magazines.
In December 1986, the hotel reported 85% occupancy level.
In September 1988, the hotel was extensively damaged from Hurricane Gilbert. Rebuilt by the Levys.
In December 1992 the hotel reported an occupancy level of 20%, but that reservation trends could increase that level to 90% by Christmas Day, and could be maintained for at least the next four weeks.
In March 2002, Butch Stewart looked at acquiring the hotel, but decided that it did not fit into the Sandals all-inclusive concept.
In March 2002, the hotel was listed on the auction block, but withdrawn after it was revealed that American businesses had expressed an interest.
In April 2002, a group led by Rose Campbell, former head of Caymanas Track Limited, initiated negotiations to acquire the property. Negotiations were unsuccessful.
In May 2002, the auction house D.C. Tavares Finson Realty advertised the property, apparently over a legal dispute with Montego Bay hotelier, Heinz Simonitsch, who held a first lien on the property.
In June 2002, the Levys settled the legal dispute over the Simonitsch loan. The hotel is being managed by Levy and his daughter Suzanne.
June 2004, Michael Lee Chin, chairman of National Commercial Bank, stated that he was finalising negotiations to acquire the hotel.
In 2008, Michael Lee Chin purchases the hotel and spends US$15 million to refurbish. It becomes villas only.
Still there. There are 13 villas, but in 2023 only 11 ocean front villas are being rented.