Adam Stewart grateful to Adrian Robinson, the man who gave 'Sandals' its name

almost 3 years in Jamaica Observer

EXECUTIVE Chairman of Sandals Resorts International (SRI) Adam Stewart says the Caribbean's leading hotel chain will be forever grateful to late marketing icon Adrian Robinson, the man who came up with the Sandals name. Stewart, paying tribute yesterday to Robinson, the arresting voice behind numerous radio and television commercials, recalled the story told by his late father and Sandals founder Gordon ''Butch'' Stewart about the origin of the name not long after the hotel was born in 1981."In a brainstorming session in Miami, people were tossing around names when Adrian Robinson came up with 'Sandals'. Everybody liked it, except me. But I let myself be persuaded being the democratic person that I am, and I never regretted it," the elder Stewart disclosed to a newspaper interviewer.At the time, the fledgling hotel was a client of CGR Communications in which Robinson was a partner, before he went on his own to establish the highly successful Marketing Counselors in 1986."It was a masterstroke, coming from a master technician and creative genius," said Adam Stewart of the Sandals name which went on to become the Caribbean's only super brand and a member of the exclusive top 500 brands in the world."We are also grateful for Mr Robinson's significant contribution to the development of Jamaica's tourism, especially in his capacity as director of tourism, at a time when the industry was establishing itself as the mainstay of the country's economy,'' said Stewart.Robinson died Monday, aged 87. He was said to be ailing for sometime."We express our profound sadness at his loss and our condolences to the Marketing Counsellor family led by his son, Marlon, as well as his loved ones. May his soul rest in peace," said Stewart.

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