The October 6, 2025 signing ceremony between Sandals Resorts International (SRI) and the Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) for a new ‘Beaches’ family resort on the multi-island state’s mainland, is another giant leap forward its new journey as an ever-growing Caribbean destination.
The agreement is for SRI’s second major SVG investment: a new US $500 Million resort on 51 acres of land at Port Wynne.
Destination Sandals
SRI’s first ‘Sandals 2.0’ branded resort was unveiled in SVG in 2023, leading to an annual US $40 million (EC $108 million) input into the national treasury while stimulating local business, agriculture, transportation and cultural industries and contributing significantly to GDP growth, foreign exchange earnings and national development.
Sandals’ presence has increased SVG’s international visitor arrivals by an amazing 412% — from 612 to 3,162 in less than two years — driven by new access routes for international airlines.
Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves left no doubt about SRI’s positive impact on SVG’s “overall thrust in holistic development” intended to propel his nation into “First-World status”.
Telling Moments
But apart from the speeches and a rainbow of promising accomplishments and renewed commitments, the ceremony also had its particularly-telling moments.
One was when Orando Brewster, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Leeward (where the resort will be built) — turned to SRI’s Executive Chairman Adam Stewart and said:
“I wish your late father was still here today, to see this ‘Beaches’ resort taking its true shape and form.
‘But if he is looking-down right now, I’m sure he will tell us: ‘This is my son Adam, in whom I am well pleased.’”
The parliamentary representative was referring to SRI’s Founding Chairman, the late and legendary Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart — and his chosen son for successorship, Adam, the family chain’s current Executive Chairman.
Successful Succession
The signing ceremony was also another interesting chapter in the enduring Sandals legacy — a successful Caribbean Father-and-Son succession story like no other.
The MP’s remarks reminded all gathered that while history is pregnant with examples of visionary leaders building and bequeathing empires their successors would fail to preserve or replicate, not so with ‘Butch’ and Adam.
Quite the opposite, the still-young Adam easily slipped into his dad’s oversized sandals — and continues enlarging the brand’s footprint on Caribbean shores.
The ‘Butch’ Stewart this writer got to know well-enough for the latter two of the four decades SRI has been doing business in Saint Lucia would certainly be ‘well-pleased’ with how his chosen son simply keeps stewarding the family’s fine Sandals products to ever-higher heights.
Deepest Confidence
‘Uncle Butch’ (as close friends called him) never passed an opportunity to reiterate his deepest confidence in the Caribbean region he was born and grew-up in — and those he called ‘its amazing people’.
His sole desire was to create a vehicle through which his Caribbean homeland would show the world it can compete — and be the very best.
Indeed, one of hiss favourite anecdotes was: “When God was creating this world, he spent a little extra time on the Caribbean.”
Reigning Legacy
‘Butch’ launched the first Sandals resort at Montego Bay in Jamaica 44 years ago — and thanks to his wise succession choice, SRI’s legacy reigns supreme as one of the most-recognized luxury hotel brands worldwide.
The Caribbean’s only Fortune 500 company, it’s also a serial winner of annual international awards for ‘Best All-Inclusive Hotel’ and ‘Best Tourism Company’.
But even though he’s figuratively walked more-than-a-million miles in his father’s sandals since 2021, Adam always starts or ends his tales on SRI’s success story with sincere humility, saying: “I didn’t and couldn’t have done it all-alone.”
He’ll tell you: “What really makes SRI unique is our people…” — referring to the 97% of the chain’s over-20,000 Caribbean citizens driving the chain at all levels, including as General Managers, Managing Directors and Corporate Directors.
Measuring Stewardship
Born in 1981 (also when SRI was born), Adam often refers to the family’s gold-standard luxury chain as his “other sibbling”.
Measuring Adam by his own long yardstick, the founding father will have been glad — four years later – with the stewardship of a son who grew in and with the company and is developing his own image and likeness.
Fact is, Adam stood by his dad’s side as loyal kith-and-kin, until death did them part.
Adam was only 25 when appointed SRI’s CEO and Deputy Chairman, allowing him an on-the-job and front-seat view of how the company his dad built became the pioneering force it is in Caribbean tourism.
He also learned much at SRI’s various resorts, including its three in Saint Lucia (Sandals Grande, Sandals La Toc and Sandals Halcyon) alongside fellow team-mates he worked and broke bread with, while sharing their hopes and dreams.
Enduring Legacy
Today’s Executive Chair also inherited the founder’s genetic belief that SRI’s tremendous success was not only for the family and the brand, but also for Jamaica and the Caribbean.
Adam has also deepened SRI’s Caribbean legacy with the recent launch of new global brand signature: ‘Made of Caribbean’.
In his first three years at the helm, SRI annually also launched three new legacy resorts — and in record time — in Curacao, at Dunn’s River (Jamaica) and in SVG.
And coming soon: SVG’s Beaches…
The Executive Chairman has dutifully maintained the Founding Chair’s enduring legacy as a confident Caribbean investor, ever-reimaging the brand as the region’s luxury tourism flagship.
Tale-of-the-Tape
SRI’s succession story proves success can always be maintained and sustained – especially where confidence and innovation are the driving forces and factors.
But perhaps the most telling ‘tale-of-the-tape’ display of the positive powers of legacy and succession at the October 6 ribbon-cutting exercise in SVG was when the SRI Executive Chair signed the agreement with his father’s bequeathed signature pen.
Adam’s dad couldn’t have been but very-well pleased!