2019

Leslie Hale is the President and Chief Executive Officer of RLJ Lodging Trust, a leading hotel real estate investment trust. Since joining RLJ in 2005, Ms. Hale has played a pivotal role in setting and executing the strategic vision at RLJ. Ms. Hale has held progressively senior roles at RLJ – she was appointed to […]

Randy Garutti is the CEO of Shake Shack, a critically acclaimed, modern day “roadside” burger stand known for its community gathering experience, commitment to taking care of its team, premium ingredients and cult-like following around the world. Shake Shack was born in 2001 as a hot dog cart in New York City’s Madison Square Park. […]

Anthony Capuano is Marriott’s Executive Vice President and Global Chief Development Officer. He is responsible for the global development of all Marriott lodging brands and supervises offices in Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Cape Town, Delhi, Dubai, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Jakarta, London, Mexico City, Moscow, Paris, Rome, São Paulo, Shanghai, Tokyo, Zagreb, Zurich […]

Keith has been Chief Executive Officer of IHG® since July 2017. He has spent more than 25 years working in the hospitality industry, having started his career in hotel operations. He has been a member of IHG’s Executive Committee since April 2011 and served as Chief Commercial Officer for four years before being appointed CEO. […]

Prospect Hotel Advisors is the exclusive advisor for hospitality investments to the Blackstone Group, the largest owner of hospitality assets in the world.  Prospect also advises a select group of other private equity companies as well as high net-worth families in the hospitality industry.  Barry has 2 business partners, John Ceriale and Andrew Katz. Growing […]

Larry is an accomplished Senior Executive and Strategist with demonstrated success spanning international gaming, finance, and hospitality. Leveraging extensive experience with property development and high-performance management structures, Larry is a valuable asset for a company requiring business turnaround planning, operational expense strategy, or crisis media advisory. His broad areas of expertise include operations, finance, development, […]

Jerry Lewin has worked in hospitality industry for forty-three years and spending the last thirty years with Hyatt hotels. Before joining Hyatt, Lewin served for ten years in various management capacities for Hilton hotels in San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas. Lewin joined Hyatt hotels in 1987 as the General Manager […]

Jay H. Shah is Hersha Hospitality Trust’s Chief Executive Officer and a member of Hersha Hospitality Trust’s Board of Trustees. Mr. Shah is involved in all areas of the business with a particular emphasis on strategic relationships, capital transactions, asset management, and acquisitions. Hersha Hospitality Trust (HT) is a self-advised real estate investment trust in […]

Helen Smith is British but moved to America for two years for the first time as a nine year old and was overwhelmed by Baskin Robbins and their 31 flavours of ice cream (in England we only had three). She grew to have a love of the American spirit of ‘let’s have a go and […]

Garnie Nygren, the eldest daughter of Founder Steve Nygren is the COO for Serenbe. She grew up in Atlanta and Chattahoochee Hills, attended Woodward Academy and is a 1995 graduate of Cornell University’s Hotel School. Not only does she run operations for Serenbe Development and Serenbe Real Estate, she is the President of The Inn […]