Hotel Mogul and Sandals Founder Dies at 76

Hotelier and founder of Sandals Resorts, Gordon Stewart died in hospital on Monday night at 79 years old.

In a statement released after his death, his son, Adam stated that his father’s death was “unbelievable.”

“He chose to keep a very recent health diagnosis private and we respected that wish,” Adam said.

He described his father as a “gifted entrepreneur,” a “marketing genius,” “talented showman” and “a dreamer who could dream bigger and better than anyone.”

Who was Gordon Butch Stewart?

• He was born in 1941 in Kingston, Jamaica, and was given the nickname “Butch” by an American sailor.
• He established Sandals, which became a popular hotel chain in the Caribbean region.
• He was also responsible for Beaches Resorts and the parent company Sandals Resorts International.
• The tourism mogul and businessman was the founder, owner, and chairman of The ATL Group and its subsidiaries Appliance Traders and The Jamaica Observer.
• Prime Minister Andrew Holness described the hotel mogul as having “an eye for detail, and [an] ability to market and deliver world-class service in any endeavor.”
• Holness said Stewart was an extraordinary human being with an unwavering commitment to the social good.