Barry Sternlicht

Barry Stuart Sternlicht, born November 27, 1960, is an American billionaire and co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group, the private alternative investment firm he formed in 1991 focused on global real estate. He also serves as Chairman of Starwood Hotels and Chairman of Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), the largest commercial mortgage REIT in the U.S. Over his career, Sternlicht has structured investments with an asset value exceeding $240 billion, and Starwood Capital's funds have invested in approximately 174,000 multifamily/condo units, 2,900 hotels, 80 million square feet of office properties, and 54 million square feet of retail space.

Career History

• 1995–2005: Chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, which he founded in 1995
• 1986–1991: Real estate analyst at JMB Realty in Chicago, before being laid off during the savings and loan crisis
• Post-Harvard: Brief tenure at Booz Allen consulting firm
• 2008–present: Founded SH Group (now Starwood Hotels), owner and manager of 1 Hotels, Baccarat Hotels and Treehouse Hotels brands

Sternlicht received his B.A., magna cum laude, with honors from Brown University and earned an MBA with distinction from Harvard Business School. During his tenure at Starwood Hotels, he built the company into one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world, employing more than 120,000 people with 895 properties in 100 countries. He created W Hotels, perhaps the world's most successful "boutique" brand, and built the St. Regis Hotels brand from a single hotel to a global brand.

Sternlicht's accolades include PERE's inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, named the Most Important Person in Commercial Real Estate Finance by The Mortgage Observer in 2013, Executive of the Year and Investor of the Year by Commercial Property Executive in 2010, and America's Best Lodging CEO by Institutional Investor Magazine. He serves on the Board of Directors of The Estée Lauder Companies and the Real Estate Roundtable.

What Barry Sternlicht could bring to his role as Chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group: With over three decades of real estate investment expertise and a track record of identifying and capitalizing on transformational opportunities—from the savings and loan crisis to building one of the world's most diversified hotel portfolios—Sternlicht brings visionary leadership, deep industry relationships, and proven ability to create value at scale. His success cultivating iconic consumer brands (W Hotels, 1 Hotels) and navigating complex market cycles positions him uniquely to maximize returns across Starwood Capital's $115+ billion in global real estate assets while driving continued innovation in hospitality and residential development.