Skift Take
SH Hotels & Resorts has many of the boutique qualities bigger brands covet, so its new CEO simply has to stay the course. But he also has to hit the ground running, quickly finding revenue substitutes for the depleted international travel sector.
Billionaire investor Barry Sternlicht’s SH Hotels & Resorts has a new CEO who aims to navigate the pandemic recovery with organic growth rather than tie up with any of the global behemoths salivating at what the smaller, boutique-minded brand offers.
Arash Azarbarzin succeeded Sternlicht earlier this month as the CEO at SH Hotels & Resorts — owner of the 1 Hotels, Baccarat, and Treehouse hotel brands and a subsidiary of the investor’s Starwood Capital private equity firm. Azarbarzin was president of SH Hotels for three years prior to his new role and previously held leadership positions with brands like St. Regis Hotels and W Hotels, which Sternlicht founded while serving as CEO at Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
Sternlicht will stay involved at SH Hotels as chairman of its board.
The leadership shift comes at a critical time for any hotel company, as the industry is still suffering from catastrophic revenue and demand declines from the pandemic. But it is especially so for SH Hotels, which relies significantly on international travel but also has the kind of boutique hotels many bigger companies are pursuing.
The big brands should probab
