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Following the death of hotel mogul Gordon “Butch” Stewart, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis remembered him as “a loyal son of the Caribbean, who delighted in the extraordinary potential and breathtaking beauty of the region.”

Minnis said Gordon was a “great friend and lover of the Islands of the Bahamas and the Bahamian people.”

Gordon established the Sandals Resort at a time “when the Bahamas was looking for investors to acquire government-owned hotels.”

“Gordon significantly and immediately added to the number of rooms and employees of the resort and the reputation of the Bahamas,” he said.

Minnis added, “Gordon “Butch” Stewart “Stewart was an intrepid innovator. He was the ultimate dreamcatcher who was happy to listen to the ideas of others and to change his mind when inspired or enthused by the dreams and ideas of others.

“His commitment to the region was manifest in the economic impact of his properties throughout the region, including his resorts in the Bahamas at Sandals Royal Bahamian on New Providence and at Fowl Cay and Emerald Bay in the Exumas.”

Minnis said Gordon was enthusiastic about the extraordinary potential of the Caribbean and often, remarked about the untapped potential of the Bahamas.

Gordon died in hospital on Monday. He was 79-years-old.

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.