Wikipedia

John Issa

John Issa (born December 29, 1939) is a Jamaican hotelier and businessman.  He is the executive chairman of SuperClubs Resorts, a hospitality company he founded in 1976.  Known as the “Father of All-Inclusive,” he created the expanded all-inclusive resort model that became standard throughout Jamaica.

John Issa
O.J., C.D, Hon. LL.D.
BornDecember 29. 1939 [1]
Kingston, Jamaica
Alma mater
  • College of the Holy Cross
  • St. Georges College
Organizations
  • Member of the Jamaican Senate (1983-1989)
  • Chairman,Jamaica Tourism Board (1984-1989)
  • President, Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (1972-1974)
TitleExecutive chairman, SuperClubs
SpouseAida Issa (m. 1964)
Children3
Awards
  • Order of Jamaica
  • Brazil Order of the Southern Cross
  • Bahamas Order of Excellence

Issa was the president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourism Association in the 1970s, the chairman of the Jamaican Tourist Board in the 1980s, and a member of the Jamaican Senate from 1983-1989. He is the recipient of awards including the Order of Jamaica, Brazil Order of the Southern Cross and Bahamas Order of Excellence. He was pictured on a Jamaican postage stamp in 2004.

Early life and education

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Issa was born in 1939 in Kingston, Jamaica to Joseph E. and Minerva Issa. He is a descendent of Elias Issa, who moved from Bethlehem to Jamaica in 1893. The Issa family business began with a Kingston notion shop Elias founded in 1894 and grew to become a retail, automotive, insurance, banking, and hospitality conglomerate operating throughout the country. [2] [3]

Issa attended Campion Preparatory School, St. George's College and the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. [4] He graduated magna cum laude with a BS in business administration with a special interest in marketing. [5] Following his graduation, Issa returned to Jamaica to work in the family's hotel business with his uncle, Abe Issa. [6] [7]

Career

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Issa learned the hotel industry "top down" as the managing director of three of the family's hotels: The Myrtle Bank Hotel, The Montego Inn,[8] and the Tower Isle Hotel. [9] In 1976, he founded SuperClubs Resorts[10] and opened Negril Beach Village, the first hotel on Negril Beach. [2]

Issa began developing an all-inclusive model after realizing that during the economic downturn of the 1970s, cruises and Club Med resorts, which had all-inclusive pricing in common, remained successful.[4] In response, he created a "Super Inclusive" model [11] that expanded traditional all-inclusive pricing from accomodations and three daily meals to a flat fee that covered access to activities and amenities such as horseback riding, windsurfing, top-shelf alcohol, entertainment, and unlimited food and drinks. The flat fee also covered taxes and tips.[12] [13]

Negril Beach Village was renamed Hedonism II in 1981. An adults-only resort, it was marketed as an opportunity to be "Wicked for a Week, " with ad campaigns that emphasized sexual freedom. Its flat fee included activities such as skinny-dipping, toga parties, and nude volleyball. [14] [15] [16] Hedonism II was consistently profitable, [17] and in 1999, Issa opened a "more risque" property, [18]Hedonism III. A nude wedding at the resort during which 29 couples were married on Valentines Day 2001 generated worldwide media coverage. [19]

Issa opened the first resort for couples in Jamaica with Couples Ocho Rios in 1978. Bescobel Beach,[9] an all inclusive resort for families, [20] opened in 1983. In 1989, SuperClubs opened its first luxury resort, Grand Lido Negril Resort & Spa, a five star all-suite property that Condé Nast Traveler named "Best Resort in the Caribbean and Latin America". [21] [22] The Grand Lido brand expanded to include three resorts, and all three, in addition to SuperClub's boutique hotels, Rooms on the Beach, [2]and SuperClubs StarfishTrelawney, a family resort, were later rebranded as Breezes. [23] Three Breezes resorts had already been established when the other properties were renamed. [24] [25] Since it was founded, there have been 25 SuperClubs resorts in eight countries, including The Bahamas, Brazil, Cuba,Curaçao, Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia, and Panama. [26]

Civil service, board appointments, recognition

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In addition to serving as chairman of the Jamaican Tourist Board, president of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourism Association, and on the advisory committee to the minister of Industry, Tourism, and Foreign Trade.[27] [26] and served the Jamaican government as a senator from 1984 to 1989. [2] He is the honorary chairman of The Gleaner Company. [28]

He holds the Order of Jamaica (O.J.), Commander of the Order of Distinction (C.D.), Justice of the Peace (J.P.). He received the Brazilian Order of the Southern Cross (Officer Rank) in 2001. In 2004, he was featured on a Jamaican 40-cent postage stamp marking the centenary of the Jamaica Hotels Law of 1904. In 2024, he was awarded the Bahamian Order of Excellence by the Government of the Bahamas.[26] He also received honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of the West Indies [29] and Northern Caribbean University.[30]

Personal life

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John and Aida Issa were married in 1964. Their three children have served in executive roles at SuperClubs. Aida, a partner in SuperClubs, redesigned the interiors of SuperClubs properties. [9] She also wrote Super Recipes, a cookbook that highlighted traditional Jamaican food. [31] [32]

References

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  1. ↑ "John Issa", Kingston Gleaner Newspaper Archives December 3, 1985 Page 22
  2. 1 2 3 4 Henthorne, Tony; Panko, Thomas R. (2024). Jamaica: Tourism History of an Island Paradise. Archway Publishing. pp. 101–109. ISBN 9781665750165.
  3. ↑ Who's Who, Jamaica. (1966). Who's Who Publications Limited.
  4. 1 2 Morris, J. (1993, Jan 24). "All-inclusive resorts are a sunny option" [city edition] Boston Globe, B2 (Pre-1997 Fulltext),
  5. ↑ "John Issa", Kingston Gleaner Newspaper Archives December 3, 1985 Page 22
  6. ↑ "JAMAICA TO PRESS FOR TOURIST RISE; Also Plans for Expansion of the Mining of Bauxite-- Economy Called Sound". The New York Times. 1956-01-05. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-20.
  7. ↑ Carnoy, D. (1997, 08). The no-think vacation. Success, 44, 52-54.
  8. ↑ NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE FIELD OF TRAVEL. (1965, Jan 24). New York Times (1923-)
  9. 1 2 3 Shillinglaw, James. (June 8, 2001) “SuperClubs’ Silver Year." Travel Agent, Cover story, vol. 304, no. 8, June 2001, p. 50-54.
  10. ↑ Keates, Nancy (1997-07-25). "Bookings Boom Again At 'Adults-Only' Resorts". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2026-05-21.
  11. ↑ Eversley, M. (2003, Sep 21). "Tourist Enclaves Stir Resentment Among Jamaicans; Exclusive Resorts a Boon to the Economy" The Atlanta Journal - Constitution [home edition]
  12. ↑ Clarke, J. (1988, May 08). "Island Clubs Offer Vacations Where All But the Hassle is Included (Final Edition. Chicago Tribune (Pre-1997 Fulltext)
  13. ↑ Ritz, Stacy (Nov, 1, 1987) "Carefree Jamaica Resorts with All-inclusive Packages Have Made This Island's Appeal Even Stronger." Sun Sentinel
  14. ↑ "Mild Or Wild. It's Your Choice! | Things to do in Chicago". Time Out Chicago. 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  15. ↑ Frenaye, John (2006-05-23). "Hedonism: people just like us, only naked". NBC News. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  16. ↑ Mark Wolf (1998, May 09). Thinking adults only? Then think hedonism: [final edition]. The Windsor Star
  17. ↑ Wade, Betsy (1988-11-13). "PRACTICAL TRAVELER; After Gilbert, Finding Bargains Under New Roofs". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-22.
  18. ↑ Creager, E. (2007, Nov 24). "Hedonism!" Winnipeg Free Press
  19. ↑ Merle English, S. W. (2001, Feb 06). "Nude nuptials furor: island Resort Draws Protests" [QUEENS edition]. Newsday.
  20. ↑ Dowd, Maureen (1989-12-10). "WINTER IN THE SUN; Sun, Surf and Singles". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
  21. ↑ Ferguson, J. (1998, Dec 02). "Serving up a slice of Paradise", The Globe and Mail
  22. ↑ Sessa, Andrew (2017-03-31). "Jamaica's Grand Lido Negril Opens—And Clothing Is Optional". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  23. ↑ "Superclubs Breezes Runaway Bay: Ocho Rios Hotels, Jamaica". www.jamaicascene.com. Retrieved 2026-05-27.
  24. ↑ Bergsman, S. (1998). SuperClubs grows on islands. Hotel and Motel Management, 213(19), 10.
  25. ↑ CARIBBEAN HOT PROPERTY: Upgraded. (2009). Travel Trade Gazette, U.K.and Ireland, , 52.
  26. 1 2 3 Robinson, Amelia (2024-10-15). "John Issa of SuperClubs Awarded The Bahamas' Order of Excellence". CNW Network. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  27. ↑ Yenckel, James T. (1989-01-29). "Shoring Up Paradise in Time for the High Season". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-05-26.
  28. ↑ "NCB Capital Markets Ltd. - The Gleaner Company - Board Appointment". ncbcapitalmarkets.com. Retrieved 2026-06-11.
  29. ↑ Springer, B. (2009, Jun). "Issa Honored, 'Butch' Rolling Out New Routes", New York Amsterdam News, p. 14
  30. ↑ "Industry Icons: John Issa". eHotelier. 2016-06-20. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
  31. ↑ Jones, A. (1999, Oct 30). "Healthy Way to Spice Up Your Life", [COUNTY edition]. Birmingham Post
  32. ↑ Issa, John J.; Jayawardena, Chandana (2003-06-01). "The "all‐inclusive" concept in the Caribbean". International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 15 (3): 167–171. doi:10.1108/09596110310470211. ISSN 0959-6119.
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