Associated Luxury Hotels Chairman David Gabri Retiring
January 23, 2018
David Gabri, Chairman of Associated Luxury Hotels and 45-year hospitality industry veteran, announced he will retire effective March 1, 2018, yet will remain actively involved with the company’s Board of Directors. Associated Luxury Hotels is the parent company that owns and operates Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) and Worldhotels, which both specialize in serving luxury and upper-upscale hotels and resorts around the world either owned or operated as independent. The succession planning included the appointments of: Josh Lesnick, Associated Luxury Hotels president and CEO; Mark Sergot, ALHI’s chief sales officer; Geoff Andrew, Worldhotels CEO; and Tom Santora, Associated Luxury Hotels chief commercial officer.
Gabri said, “With our new, energized, experienced and fully integrated leadership team now in place for a year, it is time for me to advance on to other personal priorities including family time and lending my time, expertise and resources to several non-profit and organizations of interest.”
Gabri’s retirement will coincide with the 32nd Anniversary of ALHI. His extensive experience includes serving as the owner of ALHI since 2003, and CEO of ALHI through January 2017.
He also was one of the original concept architects of Associated Luxury Hotels International, along with ALHI founder John Metcalfe, in 1986 as a means for select independent luxury hotels and resorts to harness “national” resources to face growing major chain competition. ALHI launched in March 1986, and Gabri served as a volunteer Member-Chairman for the ALHI Executive Committee for several years, and later acquired the company from Metcalfe and his partners.
Under Gabri’s leadership, the company significantly expanded its geographic footprint, sales, marketing and member services, from just a staff of 14 dispersed among four national sales office locations in 2003, to 52 global sales office locations and a staff of 240 today. The organization had just 60 member properties in 2003, and today collectively serves over 600 hotels and 210,000 rooms around the globe, making it the largest hotel consortium of its type in the world.
Prior to acquiring ALHI in 2003, Gabri was Executive Vice President and partner of Tishman Hotel Corporation, where he served for 14 years. Gabri’s earlier experience includes serving as Executive Vice President and partner of Buena Vista Hospitality Group where he spearheaded strategic planning for several major properties, including the 1,000+ room Buena Vista Palace at Walt Disney World Village.
Gabri was honored by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) in 2010 with its most prestigious “Academy of Leaders Award,” ASAE’s highest individual honor given to an industry partner who has demonstrated exemplary support of ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership and the entire association community. He was the sole recipient of the award in 2010, and was just the 23rd recipient to ever receive the honor.
He has been involved in several causes, including serving as Chairman of the Governing Board for House of Hope, which helps hurting teens and families. Among his many honors, he was the recipient of the prestigious “House of Hope Humanitarian Award,” an honor shared with Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Rich DeVos, Jeb Bush, Pat Robertson, Pat Williams, and other notables.