Over the last several years, scores of female travelers have complained about being sexually harassed, taunted and stalked by male workers at Jamaica’s finest resorts — but you wouldn’t know it using TripAdvisor’s new safety tool.

The tool, created after a Free Press investigation revealed a long-standing sex assault problem in Jamaica, was designed to flag these complaints. But unless one digs deep into the travel site and scours every hotel review section, the stories about sexually aggressive male employees mistreating, frightening and intimidating female tourists cannot be found.

Not the cornering and stalking. Not the following of women to their rooms at night, asking for sex. Not the bragging about male anatomy size to women in a buffet line, and telling them they need a real Jamaican man to “f—.”

This is what dozens of women allege they have been subjected to by bartenders, lifeguards, food servers — even security guards — while vacationing in Jamaica, where an estimated one American a month is sexually assaulted, according to State Department data. Among the victims are four Michigan women, including two Detroit women who were raped at gunpoint last fall by an entertainment employee, a Lansing-area woman who said she was gang raped in 2015 by three resort lifeguards, and her teenage friend who said she lost her virginity to a lifeguard rapist.

More: Jamaica resorts covered up sexual assaults, silenced victims for years

Hotel Riu Reggae is a all-inclusive adults only hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
Hotel Riu Reggae is a all-inclusive adults only hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica. (Photo: RIU Hotels and Resorts)

Following the assaults of the Detroit women, a Free Press investigation found that sexual assaults in Jamaica are a pervasive and unchecked problem — a probe that prompted TripAdvisor in mid-May to change the way it alerts travelers about potential safety problems at hotels.

It created a Safety Warning box that pops up immediately in the review section of a property, citing reviews over the last year that mention sexual assault and sexual misconduct. To date, the tool has flagged 13 Jamaican properties for safety issues; fewer than 20 reviews mentioning sexual assault.

None of the flagged reviews mention sexual harassment or misconduct, though that could change in the future.

“We are looking at sexual harassment and how to address it in the future as we continue to enhance the travel safety information on our site,” said TripAdvisor spokesman Brian Hoyt, noting the travel company launched a long-term commitment in mid-May to help travelers easily find information that involves tourist safety.

“We had to start somewhere and we started with involuntary physical harm,” Hoyt said, noting that eventually, other categories like death, druggings, armed robbery, and assaults will be flagged through the filter.

“It is important to note that these solutions are just the start of our commitment to elevating safety information on TripAdvisor,” the travel company said in a statement, noting businesses and governments need to do their part, too.

Newsletters
Get the Daily Briefing newsletter in your inbox.
Start your day with the morning’s top news

Delivery: Daily
Your Email
TripAdvisor stresses that the hotel reviews it posts are only allegations, and that it urges hotel properties to respond. The travel website does not investigate the alleged crimes, nor opine on them. It only lists them so that travelers can use the information, good or bad, as they see fit.

“Every travel safety issue is important to TripAdvisor,” Hoyt said, noting: “TripAdvisor is not the arbiter of fact. Our job is to surface this information to the travel community to help them make decisions.”

These are the choke marks that an 18-year-old South African au pair says she suffered after being drugged and raped at a Sandals-owned beaches resort in Jamaica on July 4, 2018. She says Sandals paid her American host family $25,000 and silenced them with a non-disclosure agreement
These are the choke marks that an 18-year-old South African au pair says she suffered after being drugged and raped at a Sandals-owned beaches resort in Jamaica on July 4, 2018. She says Sandals paid her American host family $25,000 and silenced them with a non-disclosure agreement (Photo: South African au pair)

Meanwhile, here is what you wouldn’t know just by using the safety tool: More than 60 reviews over the past several years warning of sexual assaults, misconduct and harassment at more than 35 properties, most of them four- and five-star resorts. The majority of complaints involved sexual harassment.

‘We don’t feel safe’
A Detroit woman seeks comfort after she and a friend got raped by a gunman while vacationing in Jamaica on Sept. 27, 2018.
The victim, who is on the right, got the gun and shot the attacker, who is in police custody. The other victim is not pictured.
Buy Photo
A Detroit woman seeks comfort after she and a friend got raped by a gunman while vacationing in Jamaica on Sept. 27, 2018. The victim, who is on the right, got the gun and shot the attacker, who is in police custody. The other victim is not pictured. (Photo: Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press)

One month before two Detroit women were raped at the Hotel Riu Reggae in Montego Bay, Jessica Hansen of Dallas, Texas, went to the same resort with three friends to celebrate her 30th birthday.

But the trip was cut short.

After one full day at the all-inclusive resort, Hansen said, the women left because of sexual harassment by “very sexually aggressive” male workers. It started out with compliments, gestures and long stares, and quickly escalated, she said.

One of her friends was followed around by an entertainment dancer named Showtime who demanded her phone number or Facebook info. She told him repeatedly that she wasn’t interested, she said, but he would not stop and followed her for 40 minutes.

Hansen said she was taunted while waiting in line for Jamaican jerk chicken. A male staffer approached her, told her how innocent and pure she looked, and how she needed a Jamaican man to show her how “a real man should f— her,” she said.

Then came the stares and comments at the pool. One male worker made derogatory comments about the women’s bodies, while other male staffers stared at them while they sunbathed.

The day ended with the women hiding out in their room, hoping the entertainment worker who had been stalking their friend would not find them.

“We were scared. We stayed in our room with the door locked. We weren’t even willing to leave our room after that, and we checked out immediately the next morning,” said Hansen, who recalled telling management, “We have to leave here. We don’t feel safe.”

Jessica Hansen, 30, of Dallas, Tex., said she and her friends were sexually harassed by male resort workers in Jamaica, causing them to hide in their room all night and leave the next morning. They stayed only a day and a half.
Jessica Hansen, 30, of Dallas, Tex., said she and her friends were sexually harassed by male resort workers in Jamaica, causing them to hide in their room all night and leave the next morning. They stayed only a day and a half. (Photo: Jessica Hansen)

The response she got was unnerving, she said. According to Hansen, security and management kept saying “this has never happened,” and even challenged her, saying: “Are you sure? We have cameras.”

“They just kept victim blaming,” said Hansen, who wanted the resort to punish the man in the jerk chicken line.

“They said they couldn’t do anything because I didn’t have the person’s name and the cameras didn’t see anything,” she said. “It was disgusting.”

Hansen wanted a full refund, but the hotel reimbursed her only 80% of the days that she didn’t stay, she said. She and her friends ended up paying for the day and half they were there.

Hansen spoke to the Free Press after learning about the rapes of the two Detroit women, who were assaulted at the same resort just weeks after her trip.

“I was stick to my stomach. I couldn’t believe it. I knew this could have been prevented,” said Hansen, who believes the resort’s lax attitude toward sexual harassment emboldens male workers to do more.

“I want this to stop,” she said. If the men weren’t so comfortable with harassment, Hansen stressed, “this might not have happened to those girls.”

Hansen posted a review about her experience on TripAdvisor, where Hotel Riu Reggae responded, stating:

“Thank you for choosing our hotel and for your review. … Since our main priority is to make our guests feel comfortable, we are very surprised to read your feedback on our staff. Unfortunately, without any additional details in regards to your particular booking, we are unable to track your case with the information provided and kindly encourage you to contact your travel agency or our Customer Service Department. … It was a pleasure having you as our guest and we hope to regain your confidence during a future visit.”

Hansen said she will not be going back.

Weeks later, Hotel Riu Reggae responded to more negative reviews involving the rapes of the Detroit women. Riu called the attacks a “very unfortunate” and “unprecedented” incident involving an entertainment worker who had been in training for three days but was quickly arrested and charged. The suspect was also wanted for string of rapes in a nearby town. But Riu defended its hiring policies, background checks and said the worker came with strong references.

Stares. Vulgarity. Groping.
The sexual harassment claims on TripAdvisor vary widely. Some involve stares and vulgar language, while others involved stalking and threatening behavior.

In most cases, the women expressed fear and outrage. Here are some examples:

“They are consistently running down young females in order to have sex with them,” a Florida woman wrote in 2015 of the entertainment staff at Royal Decameron Montego Beach, a family resort that was cited five times for alleged sexual harassment. “I felt as though I was in a BROTHEL!!! I am concerned by the behaviour of these men and the fact that management seems to turn a blind eye to such appalling behaviour. This is not a family resort!”

A year later, a New York City woman wrote a similar review about the same resort: “Solo females, BEWARE … Male staff are very sexually harassing to solo female travelers. I was even followed to my room by a staff member who clearly did not get the hint that I wasn’t interested.”

Royal Decameron Montego Beach responded to the New York City woman’s review, stating: “We promise to take all of your comments and recommendations in accounts and work on those points in order to better ourselves. We will work hard to keep up the team work to guaranty a high quality of service. (We) hope to see you again in the future.”

In January 2018, a Texas woman who stayed at Sandals in Montego Bay wrote that she was subjected to “sexual manipulative behavior by an employee,” alleging he retrieved her personal information and contacted her when she returned to the U.S. He sent “multiple emails, two of which were very sexual,” her review claims, and also found her on Facebook and sent her a friend request with his “VERY explicit private page.”

The Houston woman contacted Sandals.

“They proceeded to apologize and send me two free nights only if I signed a VERY strict confidentiality statement,” the review stated.

Sandals did not respond to her review on TripAdvisor, though the company has previously defended its commitment to safety to the Free Press, stating: “There is nothing more important than the safety and security of our guests. … Our policies are clear — all reported incidents of sexual assault and harassment are fully reported to law enforcement, investigated and, where appropriate, prosecuted by the authorities. This is a core element of our incident response protocol.”

On May 5, a traveler posted this review about her family’s stay at the Royal White Sands Resort:

“This was the worst resort I have ever been to …my two daughters, one of whom is a minor, were sexually harassed everyday of the trip by multiple staff members. On the last day it escalated to a male employee following my daughter throughout the dining area, trying to engage her in conversation and saying his friend liked her. … I met the director of security and customer service manager who appeared more interested in protecting the reputation of the resort than protecting me and my family. … I took (a) form to complete at the beach while several security guards lurked nearby which was very intimidating and menacing. I gave the form to the ‘butler’ who offered me and my daughter a complimentary 25 minute massage, which we did not accept. I have not heard anything from the ‘General Manager’ who I went to speak with.”

Royal White Sands responded, stating: “Thank you for sharing your recent travel experience with us. It is extremely disappointing to read that we fell short of meeting your expectations during your stay with us. Please know that guest satisfaction is our number one priority as hoteliers and we deeply apologize if you felt this was not the case. Kindly send us an email … and our management team will follow up with you to learn more about your experience.”

Most recently, a woman on May 19 wrote that sexual harassment is a “major” and “real” problem at the Luxury Bahia Principe Runaway Bay. “I went there for a solo vacation but it seems like vacationing as a woman alone is an automatic invitation for the male workers to harass. Whether you are sitting at the Lobby lounge, the poolside bar, the beach – I was certainly not comfortable – the male workers kept asking me if I am married, they want to see me later they like me and would like me to get to know me, a group unpacking a truck even had the audacity to ‘cat call’ me, while walking by from the beach … This hotel NEEDS to retrain and retrain their staff, especially the male staff as this is a serious problem. It was unacceptable, uncomfortable and nearly ruined my vacation.”

In April 2018, a woman from Bloomfield Hills claimed she was sexually harassed at Jewell Paradise Cove, writing: “The male staff tend to be overly flirtatious. There were times where I felt very uncomfortable by many of them because of the way they would stare, and some of them would even make comments about my appearance and body when my boyfriend would leave my side. I did not like to be without him by my side due to the behavior of the male staff … it (got) crude … We will not be returning to this resort … The entire staff at this resort needs to be completely re-trained.”

Jewell Paradise Cove responded, saying: “We deeply regret that you were made to feel uncomfortable based on the response you received from some of our male employees.”

Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort and Spa was cited six times for alleged sexual harassment and once for sexual assault involving a 15-year-old Maryland girl who was allegedly accosted by a male staff member.

“The assault was of a very ‘personal’ nature. After the incident, she refused to go back to the pool,” and the couple’s younger, 13-year-old daughter was also terrified, the mother wrote in a 2010 review, adding her 15-year-old spent the remainder of the vacation in the room.

According to the review, the employee was fired and the family was moved to another resort. But there were no charges. And the resort “offered no compensation to us for our horrendous experience,” the mother wrote.

“Had we been in the United States, I would have had the staff member arrested for assault,” the woman wrote.

The general manager at Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort & Spa responded, saying: “We do believe that your review is tainted by your motherly instincts and the inate desire to express frustration with any incident that my involve our children. However, I do believe that it is unfair to tarnish the entire hotel’s reputation based on one employee’s inappropriate conduct.”

The manager also said that the hotel did offer to call the police, but that the mother declined in order to spare her daughter “further inconvenience.”

In 2018, a woman wrote this about male workers at the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort and Spa, which received six sexual harassment reviews: “They prey on women … It is disgusting to watch. Staff have gone as far as knocking on vacationers’ door soliciting sex. The blatant disrespect is overt and is a norm.”

Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton responded on TripAdvisor: “I would like to express our sincere apologies and, also, gratitudes for sharing your comments with us that help us to improve our service and product. We work toughly through training and briefings to give our staff the necessary tools to provide the best service, trying to avoid the situations outlined. … I am sorry we were unable to meet your expectations.”

In 2014, a Canadian woman who described herself as a seasoned traveler said she was sexually harassed at Jamaica’s Iberostar Rose Hall Beach resort.

“A bartender followed me to my room last night at 8:30 p.m. and he asked me for a hug at my door. I asked him politely to go away and I told him that he made me feel uncomfortable. Two hours later while I was in bed the phone rang. It was the same bartender asking something. I responded angrily and hung up the phone … this made me feel uncomfortable … I will not return to Jamaica.”

Management at Iberostar Rose Hall Beach responded, stating: “We are completely floored as it relates to your comment about the bartender as this is totally unacceptable and against our company’s policy by far. Our heartfelt apologies are extended.” The company then asked for more information to begin an investigation. “I can assure you that the experience described is not ‘a common theme in Jamaica’ or at Iberostar.’ “

Metoo hits Jamaica?

To date, Jamaica still does not have an anti-sexual harassment law, though legislation has been in the works for years.

On Friday, TripAdvisor called on governments and hotels to step up and do their part to ensure travel safety.

“It’s critical that businesses in the hospitality industry, including hotels and lodging, do their part — including making background checks and safety training core to their hiring and labor practices,” TripAdvisor states. “Governments also need to continue to pass laws and commit resources to making tourists safe.”

Jamaica’s sexual harassment bill, which had been taken off the parliamentary agenda in 2016, has since been amended and was tabled earlier this year. It is expected to be brought back to Parliament pending further review and approval by Cabinet.

According to the Jamaica Information Service, the bill seeks to protect all women and men from unwanted sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and crude sexual behaviors that affect quality of life by creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.

Jamaica Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, who ordered a security audit following the Free Press investigation, has stressed repeatedly that his country is dedicated to building a safe and secure environment for all tourists, and that allegations of tourist sexual assaults are taken very seriously.

“I am of course deeply concerned about the allegations,” Bartlett wrote in a previous letter to the Free Press. “The safety and security of our visitors are of utmost priority, and we are seeking a full accounting of what has occurred.” The island-wide security audit is expected to be completed in June.

Bartlett noted that while more than 4 million people visited Jamaica last year, “we believe that any one violent crime or one sexual assault is too many.”

Bartlett, who did not comment on the issue of sexual harassment, stressed: “A safe, secure destination is critical to the future of Jamaica.”