These little but important points helped us on our way to becoming the brand that we are today by continuously innovating, and adhering to the “we can do it better” principle of pleasing guests.’ What Stewart’s background did bestow on him was a deep love of his native Jamaica. ‘I grew up along Jamaica’s north coast, a tropical paradise boasting some of the most beautiful beaches in the world,’ he says. ‘Jamaica offers so much diversity from mountains with cool crisp air which provide a whole other way of life from the beaches with their crystal clear sea and white sand beaches, to the multitude of rivers and a Christian society made up of people who would much rather see the good than the bad. And of course you can’t forget the non-stop music and the energy that this brings.’

Today, seven of the 12 Sandals resorts, as well as three Beaches resorts and two Royal Plantation Collection properties, are on Stewart’s native island. And for now, Adam Stewart says, Sandals will stick to its Caribbean roots. ‘Although we have had interest from the Maldives, Dubai and America we know the ins and outs of the Caribbean, and there are still many Caribbean countries that we are yet to explore, so that is where our focus will stay for the present,’ he says. As for the Stewart connection: ‘We defi nitely want to keep Sandals as a private organization; if we made it public it would lose its soul. Sandals isn’t just a 9-5 job, it is part of our family.