Tourism Minister Hails Late Hotelier Louis Grant

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, has hailed the late veteran hotelier and tourism stalwart, Louis Grant, as a true ambassador and patriot of the highest order.

Mr. Bartlett told JIS News that Mr. Grant, who died on March 6, was a trailblazer and a man who embodied everything that is good about the tourism industry.

“I have known Louis Grant for many years as a member of the Sandals family and as a friend. He epitomised everything that is decent… a true professional and a man who repeatedly would go beyond the call of duty in the interest of his country,” he said.

The Minister said he was saddened to have heard the news of Mr. Grant’s death, noting that the country has lost “a giant at his craft” and a man whose “passion for tourism” was second to none.

“It’s a tremendous loss. On behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and the entire tourism family…I send condolences to his family and his legion of friends,” she said.

Owner of Taj Mahal Plaza in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Sanju Chatani, said Mr. Grant was “a decent man with a great work ethic and love for people”.

For the Ocho-Rios-based Double V Plaza’s owner, Colin Mills, the sector has lost a true friend and “a mover and shaker”.

“Louis was a special talent… a man who could make things happen. He worked very well with people. I have always had a great working relationship with him… always the consummate gentleman and certainly a tourism icon,” Mr. Mills added.

Mr. Grant spent more than 60 years in the tourism industry, 25 of which were spent with the Sandals Group in Jamaica and St. Lucia.

He made his tourism debut as a bar cashier at the Tower Isle Hotel in the 1950s and would later move to the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) office in Chicago in the United States (US).

On his return to Jamaica, he continued to serve the sector in the area of hotel management.

In 2007, Mr. Grant was named Hotelier of the Year by the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) for being “outstanding in operational management, food and beverage management, and marketing”.

He joined Sandals as General Manager of its Montego Bay property, then moved to Sandals Dunn’s River Golf Resort and Spa.

In 1993, he was transferred to Sandals St. Lucia to open the resort there and the following year returned to Sandals Dunn’s River as its general manager.

In 2018, the JHTA presented him with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

“His work ethic over the years has been evidence of his unwavering passion for the hospitality industry… a passion rivalled only by his love for automobiles,” Chairman of Sandals International Resorts,” Adam Stewart noted.

“In crafting the careers of many successful leaders in the industry, he has inspired a generation to follow in his footsteps, and we are proud to say he has played a key role in helping to position Sandals at the forefront of the global hospitality marketplace.”