Gordon “Butch” Stewart, the Jamaican-born hospitality and hotel mogul who founded one of the most well known all-inclusive luxury vacation brands in the Caribbean, Sandals Resorts International, has died. He was 79.
The hospitality giant was suffering from a “very recent health diagnosis,” his son told the Miami Herald.
Stewart founded Sandals Resorts and was also responsible for Beaches Resorts and their parent company, Sandals Resorts International.
The hotel mogul was born in 1941 in Kingston, Jamaica, and was given the nickname “Butch” by an American sailor. At the time of his passing, according to The Miami Herald, Stewart was working on plans for the recently announced expansions to the Dutch island of Curaçao, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
In a letter (obtained by Breaking Travel News), his son, Adam Stewart said: “The Hon Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart OJ, a distinction he was so proud of, was a gifted entrepreneur. 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.”