Sunstone Hotel Investors Joins Center for Real Estate Finance Industry Fellows Program
The Center for Real Estate Finance (CREF) at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration welcomes lodging real estate investment trust Sunstone Hotel Investors as a member of the CREF Industry Fellows program. Sunstone has interests in 30 hotels, totaling 11,313 rooms primarily in the upper-upscale segment. The company's properties are generally operated under nationally recognized brands such as Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Starwood, and Fairmont.
The Center for Real Estate Finance (CREF) at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration welcomes lodging real estate investment trust Sunstone Hotel Investors as a member of the CREF Industry Fellows program. Sunstone has interests in 30 hotels, totaling 11,313 rooms primarily in the upper-upscale segment. The company's properties are generally operated under nationally recognized brands such as Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Starwood, and Fairmont.
"Sunstone Hotel Investors and its leaders have a long history of supporting the School of Hotel Administration," said Jan deRoos, HVS Professor of Hotel Finance and Real Estate and executive director of CREF. "We're thrilled that they are extending their generosity and expertise to the Industry Fellows program."
"CREF is educating the next generation of real estate industry professionals, and we're excited to join in the effort," said Sunstone President and CEO Art Buser, who will represent the company at meetings of the CREF Industry Fellows. "We're also eager to connect with top real estate researchers and practitioners to power the industry forward."
Prior to joining Sunstone, Buser spent eleven years at Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels Americas (JLLH Americas), where he served in a variety of roles. Most recently, he was head of global hotel capital markets, responsible for oversight of hotel equity and debt transactions. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the School of Hotel Administration, as well as an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
The CREF Industry Fellows program is the cornerstone of the center's outreach efforts. The program helps fund the annual Cornell Real Estate Case Competition, seminars on current industry topics, student travel to real estate investment conferences, as well as faculty research. The most recent meeting of the Industry Fellows was held in June in conjunction with the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference in New York City.