Hedonism Resorts - Controversy

Controversy

• Public nudity is illegal in Jamaica, but the laws are not enforced and may not apply inside the private resort. A nude wedding of eight couples in 2001 in Hedonism III caused protests by the government tourist office and radio talk show hosts, who called the event "improper and offensive." In February 2003 some of the 29 couples were involved in another round of nude weddings at the Hedonism III resort.
• Hedonism resorts host nudist and swingers conventions.
• It has been alleged by some that open sex is common at Hedonism Resorts including in the hot tubs at night. However, SuperClubs owner John Issa has stated that he is not aware of this. Mr. Issa has also declared that he was not running a "whorehouse" and that, to his knowledge, "whores are not working" in his Hedonism hotels as some have claimed. Mr. Issa has gone to court in Miami, Florida, against two employees of Unique Vacations over e-mails sent in 2007 and 2008 which he claims contain "defamatory statements" about activities at Hedonism Resorts. Mr. Issa is seeking compensatory damages of an unspecified amount for what he feels are false and malicious statements.
• Mr. Issa has stated that he feels satisfied with Hedonism's image of "decadence and debauchery". Issa has also stated that he is "satisfied" with the idea expressed on his web site that "When it's good it's oh so good, and when it's bad it's even better and yes, everything you ever heard is true".
• It has also been charged that John Issa has promoted bi-sexual activities at his Hedonism III resort.
• Not all guest visiting the resort go nude. There is a prude and nude side of the resort both with beaches and pools. All the restaurants except the nude grill have dress codes. There is nightly entertainment catering to a crowd that wants to party late into the evening. Swingers do go there in small numbers, except for several weeks during the year when they meet in large numbers. However, many guests visit the resort without going nude or swinging.
• In September 2009, Hedonism Resorts lost a WIPO trial against Relevansanalys related to the registration of the Internet domain name 'hedonismhotels.com'.