Hotel mogul Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, powerfully demonstrating his confidence in youth, has named his 25 year-old son, Adam Stewart, as chief executive officer (CEO) of his Sandals Resorts International. In a brief statement to staff Friday, Stewart, chairman of the hotel, appliance, automobile and newspaper empire, said his youngest adult son would be responsible for all areas of Sandals’ operations effective immediately.

“In his new position, Adam will work very closely with the managing director, Mr Merrick Fray,” the statement said. “I look forward to a new era of growth and development for Sandals and Beaches Resorts and ask for your full support for Adam in his new position.”

Adam Mark Stewart, by coincidence, was born January 27, 1981, the very year that his father bought his first hotel and launched the Sandals chain that now comprises 14 Sandals and four Beaches properties in six Caribbean islands.

The Campion College old boy, who boarded at the St Andrews School in Boca Raton, Florida, gained a Bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from the top flight Florida-based International University three years ago and has been in training for the senior position.

Between holidays and school breaks and since graduating, he has been understudying Fray, who joined Sandals at the beginning 25 years ago, and Brian Roper, director of operations – two of the most savvy managers in the hotel industry and the Sandals system. Stewart will report directly to the chairman.

“I feel privileged to be in this position and I thank the chairman for his confidence in me,” said Adam Stewart. “I also thank Chris Zacca, the deputy chairman, and Merrick Fray for their confidence and support, and for believing that I can do it.”

‘Butch’ Stewart had some time ago signalled his intention for Adam when he named him chairman of a group of young men and women under 35 years old, called the Youth Committee, inspired by the chairman to spearhead the development of creative approaches to children’s facilities at the Beaches Resorts, covering youth entertainment, food, programme activities and the like.

Butch said the committee excelled at the task and “we really had great results”.

Young Stewart will be in charge of a resort chain that stretches from Jamaica to Cuba, Antigua-Barbuda, St Lucia, The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands and is the largest operator of luxury, ultra resorts in the Caribbean. It is also the largest employer of choice and the most decorated Caribbean hotel chain with awards, including the World’s Best All-Inclusive Resort (Sandals) and the World’s Best Family All-Inclusive Resort (Beaches) by the World Travel Awards.

Adam Stewart, who is regarded as a carbon copy of his famous father, displaying his legendary energy and ability to conceptualise winning products, is currently spearheading the expansion of the Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort and Spa in Providenciales.

He will add a 180-family suite Italian Village, featuring a futuristic water park for children, to be the largest in the Caribbean and spectacular entertainment facilities, including a nightclub with glass floor built over a ‘lazy’ river.

“He plays a unique part in our development plans and it has paid off very well,” Butch said of his son last week, on the eve of his announcement.

Asked by the Sunday Observer if he was intimidated by the enormity of the job, given his young age, Stewart replied “definitely not”.

“I have tremendous support at all levels of the business,” he said.

“We have the most qualified professionals and so it is largely a matter of pulling everything tighter together to ensure that we continue to deliver and surpass the standards our very demanding customers have come to expect, as we get deeper into the competition and into the 21st Century. It’s the small details that separate us from our competition. The chairman will still be heavily involved. It starts with him and ends with him.”

Stewart said the chairman was the driving force behind Sandals Resorts and “our job is on the ground to ensure that we are delivering the vision and maintaining his high standards. His ability to look at a basic property and turn it into the grandest and most fabulous place to vacation is unmatched within the industry, and I will work to my fullest potential to follow in his shoes.”

Stewart assured the Sandals staff that he would do everything he could to ensure that they all enjoyed a better life through their work with the hotel chain.

Saying his son had a natural ability to reduce complex problems to simple forms that allowed for quick solutions, Butch Stewart praised Adam’s people’s skills as “excellent”.

He admitted that it was “Merrick Fray more than me who pushed for his appointment. But he has lived in a home that lived and breathed the industry. I think he’ll do very well.”