Tourism school to honour ‘Butch’ Stewart’s legacy
HAVING REDEFINED the allinclusive concept globally, Sandals Resorts International’s (SRI) founder, the late Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, will have his name etched on the walls of an international hospitality and tourism school.
In conjunction with The University of the West Indies (UWI) and Florida International University (FIU), construction is set to commence on the cutting-edge, research-led facility, tagged the Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart International School for Hospitality and Tourism.
The institution is one of several initiatives announced by the Jamaican resort chain as it kick-starts its 40th anniversary celebrations.
And Jamaica’s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett welcomes the move.
“It’s a very positive development. There’s no better name to be associated with the continued training and development of the human capital in tourism in the Caribbean than Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart,” Bartlett told The Gleaner on Monday while in Cabinet.
Describing Stewart as an icon, and a legend, he said his legacy is well preserved in building the next cadre of leadership and entrepreneurship i n tourism. Sandals, he added, has had the most impactful presence on Jamaica’s and the Caribbean tourism industry.
Lauding the late hotel mogul, whose flagship resort, Sandals Montego Bay, was opened in 1981, the tourism minister argued the hospitality and tourism school will help to professionalise the industry.
His comments were bolstered by the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association president, Clifton Reader, who noted that it was a fitting tribute to Stewart’s legacy.
“Jamaica has long been regarded as a premier tourism destination and our people are seen as virtual naturals at dispensing hospitality. That ingrained ability, coupled with of-the-moment training in the classroom in the Mecca of our tourism industry, will definitely craft a graduate of superior intellect and ability,” stated Reader.
The school will be located on The UWI’s Western Jamaica Campus in Montego Bay, where Stewart first made his presence felt in the industry.
“My father believed in learning by experience – ‘on-the-job training,’ as he often put it,” said Sandals heir Adam Stewart. “As a consummate entrepreneur and a lifelong dreamer, he knew success was born beyond the boardroom; found instead in the moments of exploration and discovery. It’s this drive that will inspire the worldclass curriculum, putting students in real-world experiences as part of their development.”