Richard Holtzman has been appointed as Principal and Vice President of Hospitality at The Athens Group
Hospitality industry leader Richard Holtzman has joined The Athens Group (Athens Group), a full-service real estate development company specializing in the creation of luxury resorts and urban hotels, branded and non-branded luxury residences, home sites and communities, as well as golf courses, spas and related recreational amenities. With over four decades of experience and leadership, Holtzman will serve as a principal and vice president of hospitality. In his role, Holtzman will be responsible for the company's core operations and asset management disciplines in addition to assisting in the growth and management of Athens Group's portfolio of projects, and its strategic partners and relationships including capital partners and hotel operators.
Prior to joining the Athens Group, Richard Holtzman was at Montage International for over a decade serving as a vice president. He opened the Montage Kapalua Bay, located on the former site of the iconic Kapalua Bay Hotel, in Hawaii. Following the opening, Holtzman assumed a corporate role with Montage International focused on senior leadership development to support the growth of the Montage International brands.
Throughout his four-decades of diverse professional experience, Holtzman has held leadership positions at The Plaza Hotel, Arizona Biltmore and was the opening General Manager at The Boulders Resort and Club in Arizona. The Boulders later served as the platform to build Carefree Resorts, with Holtzman as its founding President. Holtzman was voted "Hotelier of the World" by the readers of HOTELS magazine in 1995 in recognition of the impact of Carefree Resorts on the resort landscape. He remains the youngest recipient of this prestigious award to date. After the sale of Carefree Resorts, Holtzman worked with Wyndham International as division President, worked for Scottsdale based DMB Associates as President of Kukui'ula Development Company and led the Resort Division for Pyramid Global Hospitality.
Holtzman graduated with a B.S. in Hotel Administration from Cornell University.
He and his wife, Sheila, live in Scottsdale, Arizona. They have three adult children, Jennifer, Whitney, and Kevin. Holtzman remains active in national industry affairs as an Executive Committee member for The American Hotel & Lodging Association's Resort Committee and formerly served as its chairman.
Richard Holtzman is an alumnus of Cornell | Nolan School of Hotel Administration .