SPECIAL REPORT : HOTELIERS OF THE WORLD
Endless energy
Paul Leone ’ s zeal for The Breakers , the hotel business and , truly , all of life , led to his recognition as the 2013 Independent Hotelier of the World .
by ANN BAGEL STORCK , MANAGING EDITOR
Independent Hotelier of the World
Paul Leone
PRESIDENT , THE BREAKERS , PALM BEACH , FLORIDA
The biggest turning point in Paul Leone ’ s life came when he was just 15 years old . After growing up on Long Island in New York , Leone moved with his five siblings after his mother remarried to the small town of Paris , Kentucky . He recalls that at the time , the move seemed like a catastrophe in his teenage world , but in the end , “ It was the best thing that ever happened to me . I wasn ’ t really on a great track in New York . More than that , the adversity was really good for me . It made me a lot stronger , and it opened up my mind to a whole new world .”
That new world soon included the Starlight Motor Court , a 17-room motel on the town ’ s main street where Leone ’ s entire family lived and worked . Leone did a little bit of everything at the property — from cleaning toilets to patching the roof . “ I remember distinctly day one , at 16 years old , my stepdad putting me behind the front desk and showing me how to check someone in ,” Leone reminisces . “ That was such a fun part of my life because that ’ s where I got my first taste of business in general , and the hotel business . I immediately felt comfortable . I wanted to work .”
That energetic , upbeat attitude helped propel Leone to a job as a CPA at a major accounting firm and , later , helped him quickly rise through the ranks at The Breakers Palm Beach in Palm Beach , Florida — not to
32 HOTELS November 2013 www . hotelsmag . com