Hanalei Garden

Leading the Way

Our Talented Team

Our leadership team brings unparalleled expertise, innovation, and passion to our mission to improve the planet one hotel at a time.

Barry S. Illustration

Barry S. Sternlicht

Barry S. Illustration

Barry S. Sternlicht

CHAIRMAN

Barry S. Sternlicht is Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group and Chairman of Starwood Hotels. 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."
CHAIRMAN

Barry S. Sternlicht is Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group and Chairman of Starwood Hotels. 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...Read More

Raul Leal

Raul Leal

Raul Leal

Raul Leal

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Raul Leal is the Chief Executive Officer of Starwood Hotels, an affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group and brand management company that operates 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotels, and Treehouse Hotels. With 40 properties open and in development, he prioritizes people and the planet in all aspects of business.

A visionary leader with 40 years of experience, Leal has shaped iconic luxury and lifestyle brands, holding some of the industry’s most prestigious roles across multiple sectors as both a hotel owner and operator. He was President and Partner at Tecton Hospitality before launching Desires Hotels in 2002, foreseeing the boutique model’s rapid growth. In 2010, he was recruited to launch Virgin Hotels, where he spent over 10 years driving inclusion, pipeline development, and integrating sustainability into the company's operations.

Leal’s proven track record of identifying tactics that drive positive change informs every aspect of the Starwood Hotels organization. He is a mentor at all levels, committed to building from scratch and championing efforts to uplift communities with lasting impact. Since joining Starwood, Leal has overseen the successful openings of 1 Hotel San Francisco, 1 Hotel Nashville, 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay, 1 Hotel Mayfair — the brand’s first European hotel in the heart of London — and Treehouse Hotel Manchester, the brand’s second UK property.

Leal serves on the Board of Directors of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitor’s Bureau and on Cornell’s Boards for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Raul Leal is the Chief Executive Officer of Starwood Hotels, an affiliate of global private investment firm Starwood Capital Group and brand management company that operates 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotels, and Treehouse Hotels. With 40 properties open and in development, he prioritizes people and the planet in all aspects of business.A visionary leader with 40 years of experience, Leal has shaped...Read More

Abhay Bakaya

Abhay Bakaya

Abhay Bakaya

Abhay Bakaya

Chief Development Officer

Abhay is responsible for growing the company’s portfolio of open and pipeline hotels to scale. He leads the expansion of 1 Hotels, Treehouse Hotels, and Baccarat Hotels globally across the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific. With over 15 years of experience in the industry, he has focused on real estate and business development for Fairmont-Raffles Hotels, the original Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and Marriott International prior to joining Starwood Hotels in 2017.
Chief Development Officer
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Reena Chung

Reena Chung

Reena Chung

Reena Chung

Chief Commercial Officer

Reena is a leading specialist in commercial strategy, overseeing revenue, distribution, reservations, sales, and digital strategy. Under her leadership, she successfully positions Starwood Hotels to outperform market competition. She and her team launched the Starwood Hotels global sales platform to enable the organization to strategically partner with key travel agencies in the luxury space. In digital, her team drives web revenue, increases the database, and yields targeted returns on advertising with low acquisition cost.
Chief Commercial Officer
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Clio Knowles

Clio Knowles

Clio Knowles

Clio Knowles

Chief People Officer

Clio is responsible for continued development and evolution of the Starwood Hotels culture and people operations. Her primary focus is creating a company culture that centers on the brand values and celebrates our people. Prior to Starwood Hotels, she served as Chief People Person at Virgin Hotels and Vice President of Global Human Resources for Kerzner International.
Chief People Officer
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Toni Stoeckl

Toni Stoeckl

Toni Stoeckl

Toni Stoeckl

Chief Marketing Officer

Toni is responsible for each brand’s larger marketing strategy with a focus on the consumer brand experience and creating a 360-degree marketing approach. He leads each brand’s strategic approach to deliver an insights-driven, forward-thinking, and hyper-engaging customer journey at every turn. Born into a family of German and Austrian hoteliers and restaurateurs, his journey started at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, where he helped shape W Hotels and much of the consumer journey of St. Regis and The Luxury Collection. At Marriott, he pioneered the creation of the company's first lifestyle brand portfolio, including EDITION, AC, and Moxy Hotels.
Chief Marketing Officer
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Sara Sullivan

Sara Sullivan

Sara Sullivan

Sara Sullivan

Chief Financial Officer

As Starwood Hotels' first and only CFO, Sara provides strategic leadership and vision for all finance and accounting. She designed the company’s original finance infrastructure prior to the first hotels in 2015 and continues to lead in implementing, modifying, and integrating it across the portfolio. Sara leads both corporate and property finance teams—treasury, budgeting/forecasting, compliance, and accounting— and is the company’s primary finance liaison with its investors, parent company Starwood Capital Group, and legal counsel.
 
Prior to Starwood Hotels, Sara was VP of Finance at Sage Hospitality and East West Partners. She started her career in the audit department of Arthur Andersen, has a BS in Accountancy from the University of Illinois, and earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management.
Chief Financial Officer
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Denise Walker

Denise Walker

Denise Walker

Denise Walker

Chief Information Officer

Denise oversees the development and execution of the company’s IT operations and innovation, crafting strategic plans to drive growth, profitability, and the evolution of the brands’ guest experience. Under her leadership, Starwood Hotels was honored with the 2024 Hospitality Technology Visionary Award in the Sales & Marketing category, recognizing the company's forward-thinking approach to technology integration. Prior to joining Starwood Hotels, Denise served as Vice President of IT at Virgin Hotels and Senior Vice President of IT at Atlantis Bahamas, as well as Director of IT and Supply Chain at Royal Caribbean. 
Chief Information Officer
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Illustrated Headshot of Jonathan Heath

Jonathan Heath

Illustrated Headshot of Jonathan Heath

Jonathan Heath

Executive Vice President, F&B & Hotel Operations

Jonathan collaborates with operational leaders across the company and contributes to all facets of Starwood Hotels operations, enhancing both hotel and dining experiences. With over two decades of international hospitality experience, he's an expert in hotel openings, critical path management, concept and service flow design for hotels, F&B outlets, and spas. Most recently, he was Corporate Head of F&B at Six Senses, where he managed operations and pre-openings across 20 countries. Previously, as COO of F10 Creative, he integrated food, art, and design into unique guest experiences. His career also includes senior roles at W Hotels, ACE Hotel, Viceroy Hotel Group, and Soho House UK.
Executive Vice President, F&B & Hotel Operations
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Christopher Alvarado

Christopher Alvarado

Christopher Alvarado

Christopher Alvarado

Senior Vice President, Design

Christopher oversees the design of all properties, blending his unique experience in design and travel across many sectors of the hospitality industry to drive creative vision and programming. His journey started with SBE, followed by Commune Hotels and Resorts (later Two Roads Hospitality), where he developed several of the key brands across the portfolio including Thompson Hotels, Joie de Vivre, tommie, and Alila Hotels & Resorts. He has also held positions as the Director of Design & Planning at Hyatt and co-founded Collective Hospitality, an assembly of multidisciplinary experts working collaboratively to bring hospitality visions to life.
Senior Vice President, Design
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Nicholas DeMasi

Nicholas Demasi

Nicholas DeMasi

Nicholas Demasi

Senior Vice President, Food & Beverage

Nicholas oversees the strategy and operations of the company's diverse and innovative portfolio of dining and entertainment venues around the globe. He's passionate about creating and executing visionary concepts that elevate our properties and reflect the local culture and market. With extensive experience in food and beverage roles, he has a proven track record of delivering exceptional guest and stakeholder satisfaction, driving revenue and profitability, and leading high-performing teams. Prior to SH, he served as Vice President of Food & Beverage at SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino and General Manager of Openings at SBE Restaurant Group.

 
Senior Vice President, Food & Beverage
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Illustrated Headshot of Ron Sheldon

Ron Sheldon

Illustrated Headshot of Ron Sheldon

Ron Sheldon

Senior Vice President, Technical Services

Ron specializes in crafting technical innovations for world-class, nature-inspired properties. With three decades of experience, he's served as Vice President of Development at Discovery Land Company, Owner's Representative at DiamondRock Hospitality, Vice President of Development and Construction at WeWork, Senior Vice President of Design and Construction at Two Roads Hospitality, and Vice President of Development and Technical Services at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants. 
Senior Vice President, Technical Services
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Illustration of Shadi Omeish

Shadi Omeish

Illustration of Shadi Omeish

Shadi Omeish

Vice President, Operations, North America

An award-winning leader of top-ranked luxury hotels, Shadi specializes in leadership, guest satisfaction, and operational optimization. Since joining SH in 2016, he's served as GM of 1 Hotel South Beach, GM of 1 Hotel West Hollywood, and Regional VP for the West Coast.
Vice President, Operations, North America
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Illustration of Milton Sgarbi

Milton Sgarbi

Illustration of Milton Sgarbi

Milton Sgarbi

Regional Vice President & Special Projects

Over the past 20 years, Milton has collaborated with SH Chairman Barry Sternlicht on numerous projects across three continents, joining the company in 2016 with the opening of its first property, 1 Hotel South Beach, where he served as VP of Operations.
Regional Vice President & Special Projects
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Join the Journey

Honored to named a 2024 Most Loved Workplace® by Newsweek, we’re always seeking exceptional, passionate people to flourish with us at Starwood Hotels. Explore our openings to learn more about our company culture, our continued growth, and your potential to be a part of it.

 

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