SH Hotels & Resorts Team Meet our team of best-in-class experts and innovators in design, operations, sales & marketing, revenue strategy, food & beverage, and more. Barry S. Sternlicht Chairman Barry S. Sternlicht is Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group and Chairman of SH Hotels & Resorts. For the past twenty-four years, he has structured investment transactions with an asset value of more than $65 billion. From 1995 through early 2005, Sternlicht was Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., a company he founded in 1995. Starwood Hotels employed over 120,000 people and was one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with more than 895 properties in 100 countries. Starwood was a fully integrated owner, operator and franchiser of hotels with nine brands, including: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, and Four Points. Sternlicht has been credited as a dynamic and innovative hotel leader, creating new products and programs with immediate global appeal. He created W Hotels, perhaps the world’s most successful "boutique" brand, and grew the St. Regis brand from a single property to a global luxury hotel chain. Some of his innovations include the creation of Westin’s "Heavenly Bed," "Heavenly Bath," and "Westin Workout," and Starwood Preferred Guest, the world’s first frequent traveler program with "no blackouts." Arash Azarbarzin CEO Arash Azarbarzin joined SH Hotels & Resorts with more than 30 years of industry experience, including as a founding member of sbe Hotel Group, where he served as president for 12 years. He spent several years in leadership roles at W Hotels & Resorts as well as with St. Regis and Four Seasons. Azarbarzin oversees all operations and expansion for SH Hotels & Resorts, operating the fast growing 1 Hotels, a nature‐inspired luxury lifestyle brand with locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, South Beach, West Hollywood, and Sanya (China), the five‐star luxury Baccarat Hotel brand and its newest iconic brand, Treehouse Hotels, with the first location in London. His vision, abilities, and operational expertise fueled the growth of the hotel destinations under the sbe Hotel Group umbrella. He also played an instrumental role developing Starwood’s W Hotel brand and propelling the concept to prominence within the industry. Previously, Azarbarzin served as Area Managing Director for the W Hotels of New York, leading those hotels to record‐breaking industry tallies for highest occupancy percentage, highest GOP per square foot, and greatest overall guest satisfaction. In 2020, Azarbarzin joined the Board of Directors of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. AHLA’s Board represents leaders from all sectors of the lodging industry, including brands, owners and real estate investment trusts (REITs), management companies, independents, and state associations. Azarbarzin holds a degree in Hotel Management from United States International University. He also graduated from the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. Matt Erickson President, Food & Beverage Matt Erickson serves as President of Food & Beverage at SH Hotels & Resorts where he oversees food, beverage and nightlife for the portfolio of hotels and restaurants. During his 12-year tenure at sbe Restaurant Group from pre-opening of first venue to over $150 million in revenue, Erickson oversaw the company’s award-winning portfolio of concepts nationwide and internationally, including The Bazaar by José Andrés, Katsuya and Cleo. Mark Keiser Chief Development Officer Mark Keiser is Chief Development Officer for SH Hotels & Resorts, responsible for the growth of the Baccarat Hotels and 1 Hotels brands. Keiser most recently was a leader on Starwood Hotels' development team for over ten years and was responsible for its managed and franchised development efforts for the nine brands in the western half of the US. Prior to that role, he held varying leadership roles including leading Starwood’s luxury development activities across the US, Canada and Caribbean, and Starwood’s real estate investment activities on the East Coast and in the Caribbean. Tony Machado Senior Vice President, Design Sara Sullivan Senior Vice President, Finance Abhay Bakaya Vice President, Development Reena Chung Vice President, Revenue Management & Distribution Nicholas Demasi Vice President, Food & Beverage Christopher Kochuba Vice President, Design Thomas Meding Vice President, Operations Donna L. Rodriguez Vice President, Marketing Dan Waite Vice President, People Operations Join Our Team SH Hotels & Resorts is always looking for new, talented individuals to grow with us. Take a look through our open positions and learn more about our company culture to see if there's a good fit. View Openings
