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Starwood Capital Group’s Barry Sternlicht speaks at the 2025 NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum. (Matt Rickman, Questex)
Excerpt from CoStar
Starwood Capital Group Chairman and CEO Barry Sternlicht is adamant that the hotel business is not a hard one to succeed in, but it requires passion.
“It’s not that hard of a business,” he said during the 2025 NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum. “Clean [the property] up. Pay attention. Do everything a little better. Focus. And then send the people to have the rights. But a lot of people don’t do that. Taking costs out is for monkeys. Driving revenue is the hard part.”
Sternlicht, who was on hand to receive the Jonathan Tisch Active Citizenship Award, said that while it isn’t difficult, it is a business that requires passion and personality.
“If you like people, be in this industry. If you don’t, go code in a garage in Mongolia,” he said. “This is a fun business, and it should be fun. If you’re not having fun, you shouldn’t be in the business.”
During a conversation with Loews Hotels Chairman and CEO Jonathan Tisch, Sternlicht shared what first drove him into hospitality, why he’s glad to be resurrecting the Starwood Hotels name for his company’s portfolio of hotel brands and how he feels consumer brands should be adapting to the current environment.
Click here to read complete article at CoStar.
