Since the news broke earlier today of the untimely passing of Gordon “Butch” Stewart, founder of Sandals resorts, droves of tributes have poured in from around region remembering the Jamaican native.
Antigua and Barbuda’s Tourism Minister Charles ‘Max’ Fernandez was one of many to speak on the legacy of the Caribbean hotelier.
“Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart was a Caribbean giant in the tourism industry. It is often forgotten that, despite his humble beginnings, he competed against the biggest names in tourism to build a successful and respected network of hotels across the Caribbean. That undertaking was not easy. It required a special person with unique skills and committed drive to successfully overcome the challenges from established institutions, and to carve a universally known brand name.
“Butch Stewart was all of that and more. He was a Jamaican – a land to which he was deeply committed, but he regarded the Caribbean as his wider fraternal community. Antigua and Barbuda was pleased to welcome one of his first Sandals ventures outside of Jamaica and, without a shred of doubt, the standards he established made a significant contribution to the growth of our tourism. We join his relatives and the Sandals family across the region in mourning the falling of a true Caribbean champion and hero,” Fernandez said.
Vice President of Globales Sales Marilyn Cairo for popular Latin and Caribbean resort, Karisma Hotels also posted warm words abut the hospitality icon.
“In February 1996… I joined a company called Unique Vacations. The foundation of my career in travel was built here, proudly representing Sandals & Beaches Resorts for the next 11 years. So many memories”, said Marilyn Cairo, VP Global Sales, Karisma.
“Many of the travel agent partners I hold dear, I met during my time at UVI. And my strongest friendships in travel, were because of UVI, I am saddened by the passing of Butch Stewart. Undoubtedly an industry icon and his impact in the travel industry will transcend for generations. May he Rest In Power…my condolences to his family.”
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness hailed Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart as a man way ahead of his time, with “an eye for detail, and [an] ability to market and deliver world class service in any endeavour”.
Holness while speaking with a regional newspaper said Stewart was an extraordinary human being with an unwavering commitment to the social good.
“It is with deep sadness that I learnt of the passing of one of Jamaica’s most brilliant, innovative and transformative business minds,” Holness shared to social media.
“He has left his unmistakable mark across the region and the world and we shall miss him dearly.
“I send heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the thousands of employees whose lives he no doubt personally impacted. This loss is not just Jamaica’s, it is the Caribbean’s.”
His son, Adam Stewart who broke the news of his father’s passing also penned sweet words about his role model.
“The Hon. Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart OJ, a distinction he was so proud of, was a gifted entrepreneur,” Stewart said.
“He was a marketing genius and talented showman, but those who knew him best recognized that he was a dreamer who could dream bigger and better than anyone. It was often said: “the best thing for people around him to do is be dream catchers.”
“That’s why he always credited his success to the incredible team around him, why he listened intently when it came to creating innovative things that would excite and delight our guests, and why it is so important that I remind you today of all days, that we will all continue to be his dream catchers.
“Together, we have all been part of something bigger than ourselves, led by a man who believed in us and who gave us opportunities to learn, grow and the tools to make dreams real.”
Gordon Arthur Cyril Stewart OJ, CD was born on July 6th 1941 in Kingstown, Jamaica. More commonly known as Butch Stewart, he was a Jamaican hotelier and businessman and the founder, owner and chairman of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts, and their parent company Sandals Resorts International, as well as The ATL Group and its subsidiaries Appliance Traders and The Jamaica Observer in 1993.
After completing his education in England, Stewart became a salesman and eventually rose to become the sales manager of Dutch-owned Curaçao Trading Company. Stewart later left in 1968 to found his own business, Appliance Traders, Ltd. which specialized at first in importing and selling air conditioning units, water coolers and stoves but has grown to sell almost everything.
In April 1981, Stewart bought two derelict hotels, the Bay Roc and the Carlisle in Montego Bay.
The Bay Roc had been abandoned for more than five years when Stewart hired architect Evan Williams to renovate the hotel for $4 million and reopen it the same year as the Sandals Resort Beach Club, later known as Sandals Montego Bay.
Stewart founded Sandals Resorts which was the first company to popularize the sale of all-inclusive holidays in the Caribbean. He is credited with several innovations in the hospitality industry, most notably building the Caribbean’s first swim-up bar at Sandals Montego Bay Resort in Jamaica in 1984.
In 1985, Stewart opened his second hotel as the Sandals Carlisle which was followed the next year by Sandals Royal Caribbean, “the only resort in Jamaica with its own private island”.
Over the next few years, Stewart expanded Sandals Resort to Negril in 1988 and to Ocho Rios in 1989. In 1991, he opened a second resort in Ocho Rios near the Dunn’s River Falls and also opened Sandals Antigua, his first resort outside Jamaica.
He added two more resorts to the Sandals chain in Saint Lucia, Sandals La Toc and Sandals Halcyon Beach, which opened in 1993. Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau opened in 1996 and, in 1997, Stewart started a second resort chain geared towards children and families with the opening of a Beaches Resort in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands.
In November 2006, Stewart became chairman of Sandals and Beaches Resorts after appointing his son Adam Stewart as CEO.
In 2012, Stewart founded Sandals Corporate University, an adult education program for Caribbean nationals employed by Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts and Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts, provided in partnership by Canada-based Ryerson University, Western Hospitality Institute of Jamaica and the Jamaica Foundation for Life Long Learning.
As of 2012, Stewart’s businesses employed more than 10,000 people in the Caribbean across various industries including hospitality, restaurant, automotive, retail, and media.
A father of seven living children, with one son, Jonathan, having died in an auto collision, Stewart’s children have gone on to become successful in a number of well-known business enterprises nationally and regionally, including Adam Stewart who is Deputy Chairman and CEO of Sandals Resorts and the ATL Group.
‘Butch’ Stewart has been bestowed with a number of the nation’s highest honours over the years, including the Order of Jamaica (OJ) and Commander of the Order of Distinction (OD).
He was also presented with honorary doctor of law degrees from the University of the West Indies (UWI) in 2001, and from the University of Technology, Jamaica in 2009, as also a honorary doctor of business administration degree from Johnson and Wales University in 2011.
In addition, Stewart has been presented with a number of international awards in recognition of his outstanding business and philanthropic work and accomplishments, including his success in the field of hospitality, in which was the indisputable regional giant
He was 79 years old when he died on Monday in the U.S. from an undisclosed illness.
