LUXURY , LIFESTYLE LEADER LEAVES STERNLICHT TO FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY , F & B , CULTURE AND , NATURALLY , GROWTH .
by JEFF WEINSTEIN , EDITOR IN CHIEF
afterward I am scratching my head about whether he just asked me to come over . I had to call him the next day to reconfirm that we ’ re still good . Within a couple of days , we had a deal structured , and then we stuck to that deal .”
Azarbarzin adds that while it was a difficult decision to leave SH , the fit was right because of his skill set of building and growing teams , as well as building cultures and his luxury and lifestyle experiences . Not only has he worked for Sternlicht , but his career includes stints with the likes of Proper Hospitality , SBE Entertainment , W , Four Seasons , Luxury Collection and even as GM of the St . Regis in Los Angeles . “ As we grow , we want to make sure that we can still deliver at the level that we have been delivering for these past years … They needed that leadership and experience of building brands , as well as building on their ability to execute on some of these luxury assets .”
Mahmood Khimji tells HOTELS , “ We will continue pursuing opportunities by adhering to the key principles that have contributed to our historical success – fostering high-fidelity relationships with great people and institutions ; innovating around operational , distribution , and hotel positioning capabilities ; acting as a highly-reliable and collaborative counterparty on transactions ; being a worthy steward of employees ’ career ambitions ; and delivering exceptional guest experiences .”
Khimji adds that Highgate will seek opportunities where it has a distinct ability to add value – whether through operational improvements , business plan repositionings , and / or partnerships with talented management teams . “ We have been on a strong growth trajectory over the past few years . The recent portfolio additions have provided us with the ability to scale quickly in target markets and target segments .”
The other mission Highgate is focused on is sustainability , and having spent the past four years with Starwood Capital , where Sternlicht ’ s 1 brand is very focused on sustainability , Azarbarzin brings a lot of newly attained knowledge . “ We ’ re going to start looking and continue building on our mission of being good to the earth and then being as sustainable as possible ,” he says .
All of this , Azarbarzin says , gives the other Highgate principals more time and opportunity to find new deals .
Highgate ’ s The Marker Key West Harbor Resort in the Florida Keys .