Audio Interview With Laurence Geller, Chairman and CEO of Strategic Hotel Capital, L.L.C. and Chairman of AH&LA's Industry Real Estate Finance Advisory Council

Strategic Hotel Capital
Strategic Hotel Capital is a privately held hotel investment company. Its shareholders include Goldman, Sachs (through Whitehall Street Real Estate Limited Partnerships), affiliates of Prudential Insurance Company of America and Laurence Geller, Chairman and CEO of SHC. Strategic Hotel Capital was created to acquire and asset manage full service upscale and luxury hotels encumbered by management contracts with preferred operators on a global basis. SHC creates value through research-base, value-added, intensive asset management support. For more information visit www.shci.com/

About Laurence S. Geller
Laurence S. Geller is Chairman and CEO of Strategic Hotel Capital, L.L.C., located in Chicago, Illinois. From its formation in May 1997 to the present, he has been with this multinational organization specializing in ownership and intensive value-added asset management services of first-class and luxury lodging real estate.

From December 1989 to May 1997, he was the founder and Chairman of Geller & Co., Chicago. Geller & Co. was a real estate, gaming, tourism and lodging industry advisory company. Specializing in major hotel, corporate and real estate development, financing and structuring on an international basis, Geller & Co. clients included major international financial institutions, multinational hotel, leisure and gaming corporations, major investment banks and national real estate and development organizations.

From 1984 through 1989, Mr. Geller was executive vice president and COO of Hyatt Development Corp., Chicago. He was responsible for all growth of the chain, including real estate financing, development, construction, asset management, gaming development strategic planning, extended-stay product, and congregate care.

Geller was a finance and development consultant for major chains including Hyatt, Marriott, and Holiday Inn from 1981 to 1985. He consulted for all North American and international development and financing activities in addition to new product development. He also was a partner with Safari Management, Inc., which owned and operated 18 Holiday Inn Hotels.

Additionally, Mr. Geller was a 50 percent partner in Berins & Co., Dallas from 1981 to 1989, a national lodging industry consultancy practice, which was sold in 1989 to Arthur Anderson & Co. Clients included most major hotel companies, financial institutions, and major national developers.

Mr. Geller was Senior Vice President of Holiday Inns, Inc., Memphis, Tenn. from 1976 to 1981 and was responsible for U.S. Development including planning, real estate, financing and franchising. Previously, he had international responsibility, which included operations, franchising, development, real estate, financing, marketing, strategic and financial planning for Holiday Inn, Inc. outside of the U.S.

From 1971 to 1976, Mr. Geller was a director of Grand Metropolitan Hotels in London. He was responsible for development, real estate, financing, marketing, food and beverage operations, management contract growth, international expansion, gaming development, diversification and international operations.

Kevin Heilbronner is the US Editor for hsyndicate.com, wiredhotelier.com and hospitalitynet.org, providing content for these websites in the form of articles and both audio and video interviews. Based outside of Washington DC, Heilbronner has worked with Hospitality Net to conduct interviews at several hospitality trade shows in the US and Europe over the last year. A familiar voice in Washington, DC, Heilbronner is the stadium announcer for the NBA's Washington Wizards, WNBA's Washington Mystics, WUSA's Washington Freedom and DC United of MLS. He resides in Centreville, VA and can be reached via [email protected].