Sandals Founder Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart Has Died
Jamaican hotelier Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, the tourism giant who founded Sandal Resorts International, has died at age 79.
Stewart died in the United States on Monday, after a short battle with an undisclosed illness.
News of his passing was confirmed by his son, Adam Stewart- the Deputy Chairman of Sandals who, in a statement, said his father had chosen to keep his health diagnosis private.
The tourism mogul and businessman was the founder, owner, and chairman of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts, and their parent company Sandals Resorts International, as well as The ATL Group and its subsidiaries Appliance Traders and The Jamaica Observer.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness was among those expressing sadness over his passing, saying the loss was not only Jamaica’s, but the Caribbean’s.
“Butch was a man way ahead of his time, he had an eye for details and his ability to market and deliver world class service in any endeavor was tremendously distinctive. He was an extraordinary human being with an unwavering commitment to the social good,” PM Holness said.
Apart from his massive role in tourism, ‘Butch’ was well known for being the driving force behind the “Save the Dollar” initiative in 1992, which sought to defend the value of the Jamaican dollar which had come under severe pressure from foreign exchange speculators.
He had famously sold his company’s foreign currency into the formal banking system at a set rate.