20 Mins With: Nobu Hospitality CEO Trevor Horwell
A veteran of the hospitality industry, Trevor Horwell began his career in the 1980s at Hyatt, where he met Nobu Hospitality’s COO, Struan McKenzie. The pair moved to COMO Hotels, then Hard Rock Hotels, and, in 2009, to Nobu Hospitality Group. “Thirty years together is about trust, that’s why you stay together. No one achieves success without the help of a partner, and you should never forget your support system,” says Horwell.
A veteran of the hospitality industry, Trevor Horwell began his career in the 1980s at Hyatt, where he met Nobu Hospitality’s COO, Struan McKenzie. The pair moved to COMO Hotels, then Hard Rock Hotels, and, in 2009, to Nobu Hospitality Group. “Thirty years together is about trust, that’s why you stay together. No one achieves success without the help of a partner, and you should never forget your support system,” says Horwell.
It was an easy transition to move to Nobu, as Horwell and McKenzie had known the brand’s partners, Chef Nobu Matsuhisa, actor Robert De Niro, and the film producer Meir Teper, since 1997, when Nobu made its London debut as part of the launch of the COMO Metropolitan Hotel.
“A decade ago, the Nobu partners, Struan, and I all agreed on the vision to transform the company into a hospitality brand. Now, with 25 hotels—13 open and 12 more in development around the world—it is incredible to see how far we’ve come.”
Horwell recently spoke with Penta from the Nobu Hotel Miami Beach about what he views as a handbrake to creativity, the future of luxury hospitality and travel, and why millennial culture matters.