Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart was a stalwart, a tourism icon

Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart was truly an icon and innovator, philanthropist, and perhaps the greatest marketer tourism has ever seen. Sandals is indeed the largest and most enduring brand created by a Caribbean entrepreneur in tourism, and arguably the world, today and the standard by which luxury all-inclusive is judged.

Stewart is hailed as a father, leader, benefactor, and the greatest tourism entrepreneur of our time. His passing is truly devastating.

These are the heartfelt sentiments of Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, who is deeply saddened at the passing of tourism stalwart ‘Butch’ Stewart.

Stewart was the founder of Sandals Resorts, the leading hotel chain in the Caribbean, Beaches Resorts, and their parent company Sandals Resorts International. He was also the founder and chairman of the ATL Group of Companies and the Jamaica Observer.

Gordon Butch Stewart made an indelible mark. He established himself as not just the standard by which entrepreneurship can be judged, but he established a brand that has become global, and is also the strongest statement that small island states such as Jamaica can make on global scenes, irrespective of their areas of involvement.

DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM SUCCESS

We can look back on his life and times and draw inspiration from the success that he has had. But, most importantly, we can be inspired by his resilience and the fact that he started from nowhere, and ended up as being one of the most celebrated human beings that Jamaica has produced in the last century.

Stewart ventured into the hospitality business in 1981 with the acquisition of properties in Montego Bay, St James, one of which was upgraded and later launched as the precursor to what is now Sandals Montego Bay.

Stewart was bestowed with a number of honours over the years, including the Order of Jamaica (OJ), Commander of the Order of Distinction (OD) and Global Iconic Legend of Tourism at a UNWTO gala dinner, held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in 2017.

The entire Ministry of Tourism pays very deep respect and regards to him and says to his family, “Your gift to us is going to be what will inspire us, particularly through this difficult period of COVID-19. It is a hard moment to say goodbye, but it is a great moment for us to draw inspiration and to be guided to the future.”

He was a fierce champion, and we thank God that a Butch Stewart was among us. We thank God for the legacy that he has left behind, and we have to draw on that great inspiration and to build a stronger and better place for ourselves and posterity.

The Honourable Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart OJ, CD, Hon LLD, was 79 years old.

Ministry of Tourism. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.