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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.