HOTELIER OF THE WORLD
Walter Isenberg PRESIDENT AND CEO , SAGE HOSPITALITY Denver
Jay Shah CEO , HERSHA HOSPITALITY TRUST Philadelphia
CORPORATE NOMINEES
The 1984 co-founder of Sage Hospitality serves as the company ’ s president and CEO of the company that owns and operates hotels and restaurants in 26 states .
Isenberg directs all company operations , including property management , real estate transactions and brand development .
Sage Hospitality has been consistently recognized for its significant commitment to corporate citizenship and was the first recipient of Marriott International ’ s “ Spirit to Serve Award ,” which is given annually to a franchise partner that lives the vision to be an outstanding corporate citizen .
Sage Hospitality has also been an industry leader in implementing green operating practices , committed to developing Gold and Silver LEED certified hotels as well as making it a company-wide mission to make each of its hotels as environmentally friendly as possible .
A graduate of Cornell University ’ s School of Hotel Administration , Isenberg is a member of the American Hotel Lodging Association Board of Directors as well as Marriott International and Starwood Owner Advisory Boards . He was recently inducted into Denver & Colorado ’ s Tourism Hall of Fame and currently serving on the boards of Visit Denver , The Downtown Denver Partnership , The Children ’ s Hospital Foundation , Colorado Concern and the Metropolitan State University of Denver Board of Trustees .
Shah is involved in all areas of the business with a particular emphasis on strategic relationships , capital transactions , asset management and acquisitions .
Publicly-listed Hersha Hospitality Trust is a self-advised real estate investment trust , which owns and operates approximately 49 hotels in urban gateway markets across the United States .
Shah is also on on the Board of Directors of HHM , an independent hotel operating and private equity investment company , which operates 120 hotels across the U . S . for institutional owners . It is a preferred operator for Marriott , Hilton , Hyatt , and Intercontinental brands .
Prior to joining Hersha , Shah formed Shah & Byler , LLP , a Philadelphia-based law firm specializing in real estate and construction . Earlier , Shah was also a consultant at the former Coopers & Lybrand , now PricewaterhouseCoopers . He has served as a legislative assistant to the late Senator John Heinz on Capitol Hill and has also worked with the Philadelphia District Attorney ’ s office .
Shah most recently served on the Board of Trustees of The Episcopal Academy and presently serves on Cornell University Dean ’ s Advisory Board for the School of Hotel Administration , where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree . He also has an MBA from the Temple University ’ s Fox School of Business and a Law degree from Temple University ’ s Beasley School of Law .
12 hotelsmag . com April 2018