Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. was one of the largest companies that owned, operated, franchised and managed hotels, resorts, spas, residences, and vacation ownership properties. It was acquired by Marriott International in 2016. Starwood was founded in 1969 as a real estate investment trust. In 1995, it was acquired and reorganized by Barry Sternlicht, who was its chairman until 2005 and founder of the Starwood Capital Group. Starwood had 11 brands and owned, managed, or franchised 1,297 properties comprising 370,000 hotel rooms in approximately 100 countries.
Marriott International, Inc. is an American multinational company that operates, franchises, and licenses lodging brands that include hotel, residential, and timeshare properties. Marriott International owns over 36 hotel and timeshare brands with 9,000 locations and 1,597,380 rooms across its network. Marriott International is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. The company is the successor to the hospitality division of the Marriott Corporation, founded by J. Willard Marriott (1900–1985) and his wife Alice Marriott (1907–2000).
Hospitality Management and Tourism is the study of the hospitality industry. A degree in the subject may be awarded either by a university college dedicated to the studies of hospitality management or a business school with a relevant department. Degrees in hospitality management may also be referred to as hotel management, hotel and tourism management, or hotel administration. Degrees conferred in this academic field include BA, Bachelor of Business Administration, BS, BASc, B.Voc, MS, MBA, Bachelor of Hospitality Management> Master of Management, PhD and short term course. Hospitality management covers hotels, restaurants, cruise ships, amusement parks, destination marketing organizations, convention centers, country clubs and many more.
The Nolan School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University is a specialized business school in the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University, a private Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York. Founded in 1922, it was the world's first four-year intercollegiate school devoted to hospitality management.
Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC) is an annual weekend-long educational conference put on by the students of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration for leaders of the hospitality industry. Composed of educational seminars, leisure activities, and food and beverage events, the program is currently in its 100th year, predating the School of Hotel Administration and making HEC one of the oldest organizations at Cornell University. The purpose of the weekend is for students to practice the skills they have learned in the classroom and to showcase their talents to industry professionals, many of whom are Cornell alumni.
Gordon Arthur Cyril "Butch" Stewart OJ CD was a Jamaican hotelier and businessman. He was the founder, owner, and chairman of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts, and their parent company Sandals Resorts International, as well as The ATL Group and its subsidiaries Appliance Traders and The Jamaica Observer.
HEI Hotels & Resorts is a hospitality owner and operator based in Norwalk, Connecticut. Founded by brothers Gary and Steve Mendell, HEI owns and manages over 100 limited service, full service, upper-upscale and luxury hotels and resorts throughout the United States under brand names as Marriott, Hilton, Embassy Suites, Westin, Le Méridien and Sheraton.
Barry Stuart Sternlicht is an American billionaire and the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Starwood Capital Group, an investment fund with over $100 billion in assets under management. He is also chairman of Starwood Property Trust. He is the founder of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and served as its Chairman and CEO from 1995 to 2005. As of May 2023, his net worth was estimated at $4.6 billion.
Starwood Capital Group is an investment firm headquartered in Miami Beach, Florida. It is managed by Barry Sternlicht. It was co-founded by Sternlicht and Robert Faith in 1991. In 1993, Faith left Starwood to found Greystar Real Estate Partners.
Le Méridien San Francisco is a luxury 360-room hotel in the financial district of San Francisco, California, United States. The property was formerly the Park Hyatt San Francisco.
HVS is a consulting firm that specializes in providing services to the hospitality industry. As of 2020, HVS operated out of 47 offices located in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. HVS offers expertise across all types of hospitality assets, including hotels, restaurants, casinos, shared-ownership lodging, mixed-use developments, golf courses, and spa and wellness, as well as conventions, sports, and entertainment facilities. In addition to market studies, feasibility studies, and appraisals, HVS provides multiple hospitality services and specializations in areas such as executive recruitment, brokerage, hotel management, asset management, operational consulting, litigation support, court-appointed receivership services, hospitality interior design, tax advisory, and hotel brand and management selection.
Arne Morris Sorenson was an American lawyer and hotel executive who served as the president and chief executive officer of Marriott International from 2012 until his death in 2021. He was a graduate of Luther College in Iowa, and the University of Minnesota Law School. He previously practiced law in Washington, D.C., with Latham and Watkins, specializing in mergers and acquisitions litigation. He joined Marriott in 1996 where he served in increasingly senior management roles before being promoted to chief executive.
The Pennsylvania State University School of Hospitality Management is located at the main campus of The Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania, United States, and serves over 500 students. SHM is one of the three oldest continually-operating hospitality management programs in the United States and offers a Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Hospitality Management. The B.S. Degree offers an optional minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Mona Olsen is a British-American entrepreneur and academic. Olsen is the founder and president of the board of iMADdu Inc., an educational nonprofit (501c3) based in Fairfax, Virginia that launched in 2010.
The Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship is an institute at Cornell University located in Ithaca, New York within the School of Hotel Administration. Through the engagement of leading industry leaders and faculty, the institute educates and provides students with a wide realm of activities to expand their entrepreneurship knowledge. The most up-to-date information on the institute can be found on the press release page of the website.
Shingi Albert Munyeza is a Zimbabwean businessman. He was the head of the Zimbabwean hotel chain, African Sun and stepped down in 2015 to pursue personal interests as part of his calling as a "marketplace apostle in advancing the kingdom of God".
St. Regis Hotels & Resorts is an American multinational luxury hotel chain, owned and managed by Marriott International.
Kathleen "Katie" Patricia Taylor is a Canadian business executive who is the chancellor of York University. She was the chair of the board of the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) from 2014 to 2023, and is the first woman to chair the board of a major Canadian bank. Taylor became chair of the board in January 2014, having served on the board since 2001; she previously chaired the human resources and corporate governance committees, and served on the audit and risk committees.
Robert J. (Bob) McCarthy, is the founder and chairman of McCarthy Investments LLC and is an American hotel executive. He is the former Chief Operations Officer of Marriott International. McCarthy is chairman of Hotel Development Partners LLC, a hotel developer focused on Marriott and Hilton brands.
Robert Alan Alter is an American hotelier and real estate investor. He is the founder and chairman emeritus of Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc., and the current president of Seaview Investors, LLC, a real estate investment management company that operates hotels in Southern California and Colorado.
