Chris Nassetta (Photo by Robert Merhaut) Arlington native Chris Nassetta checked his phone as he got off his boat after a 2007 Fourth of July outing with his daughters on the Chesapeake Bay. Nassetta likes to say that his career “started in the toilet”. We use cookies and other technologies to customize your experience, perform analytics and deliver personalized advertising on our sites, apps and newsletters and across the Internet based on your interests. Between them, the top international brands have only 600 hotels on a continent of 1.2bn people. The largest trade he's ever made was selling 500,000 units of Hilton Worldwide Inc stock on 25 July 2006 worth over $11,195,000. Nassetta’s expansion programme is not as big a risk as the numbers make it sound. As people travel more and seek new experiences, we think that figure will double or treble over the next 20 years.”. “We’re talking thousands of hotels. He increased the number of Hilton hotel rooms by 72%. The clock is ticking. We’re only just getting started,” he says, after taking off his Masai robes and sitting down to talk. Pivot How Hilton's CEO Led the Company's Massive Turnaround When Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta took over in 2007, the company was lagging--and now it's the largest hotelier in the world. My development team are crapping their pants.”. “The company had been king of the hill for so long it had become complacent,” Nassetta says. When Blackstone bought Hilton and took it private in 2007 — a deal that was 80% leveraged — Blackstone’s boss, Stephen Schwarzman, asked him to be chief executive. But Nassetta says his decision to forgo the standard daily housekeeping tip has more to do with his respect for everyone working behind the scenes at hotels. Revenues are growing as fast as Nassetta can open properties. Shuntaro Furukawa. He got a holiday job working in the engineering department of the Capitol Holiday Inn in Washington DC, where he grew up. 367 talking about this. Date of birth: September 23, 1962 Film: Caddyshack He joined Host Hotels Resorts, Inc. in 1995 as Executive Vice President and was elected Chief Operating Officer in 1997. Christopher has made over 10 trades of the Hilton Worldwide Inc stock since 2006, according to the Form 4 filled with the SEC. Yes, the hotel chief ignored the advice of his head of security “even though John’s a big guy who could snap me in half with his bare hands”, Nassetta laughs. Thirty-three years after graduating from UVA, he is still working in the same industry – as the CEO of Hilton “I like to joke that my career started in the toilet,” Nassetta said, laughing. We use cookies on this site to enhance the experience. He’s rushing because the world is on the move — “It’s a golden age of travel” — and Hilton wants to capitalise on it. He joined the company in 2007. View phone numbers, addresses, public records, background check reports and possible arrest records for Christopher Nassetta. This mzungu (white man) is going to have to get used to throwing Masai shapes because he is going to be spending more time in Africa. Chris Nassetta’s wife, Paige, likes dancing. The OzSeeker blog aims to source news material related to leisure property development, while offering a platform for opinion pieces from professionals in related fields. “They get this.”. “Lots of plunging,” he frowns. Previously, Mr. Nassetta was President and Chief Executive Officer of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., a position he held since 2000. More Galleries from Forbes. Tenant Screening. Husband. Proud UVA alum. Most recently he sold 406 units of HLT stock worth $231,822 on 25 October 2019.. However, after cross-crossing the continent, Nassetta is convinced that African governments are tackling the biggest threat to their travel and hotel industries. He wakes up naturally at 4am-4.30am wherever he is in the world. Chris Nassetta. Favourite book: The Boys In The Boat, by Daniel James Brown. Emmanuel Faber. “Africa is like Asia was 20 years ago. The man responsible for Hilton's grand turnaround by SCOTT MAYEROWITZ, Associated Press - 30 July 2014 03:02-04:00 McLEAN, Va. (AP) — Nearly every weekend, Chris Nassetta is cooking in his family's oversized kitchen, outfitted with two commercial-grade refrigerators, th Engineering was a euphemism for plunging loos. “It’s Chris’s view that every Hilton Team Member works hard,” a Hilton spokesperson told TPG. Whitepages people search is the most trusted directory. Local investors are doing the financial heavy lifting — building and maintaining the hotels. Husband. International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC) RECon New York, ONLINE, 9-10 December, AFSIC Investing in Africa, REGISTER FOR 2021, World Retail Congress, Rome, 27-29 April 2021, National Planning Summit, London, REGISTER INTEREST, World Fitness & Wellness Summit, POSTPONED TO MAY 2021. I think they’re inspired by that. Niels B. Christiansen. Because it did. My wife hates the breakfast buffet, but a lot of people do do love the breakfast buffet. Off the charts. Last holiday: Croatia, Working day Proud UVA alum. Chris Nassetta is on the road 75% of the time, “touring hotels, opening hotels, meeting team members, seeing investors and ministers”. Probably not, but its CEO, Chris Nassetta, recently added to his residentials holdings in the Yorktown neighborhood. Many of the hotels Nassetta will soon dance into will be cheap and cheerful(ish) Hilton Garden Inn properties, where a room for the night costs about £100. Christopher J. Nassetta is President and Chief Executive Officer for Hilton Worldwide. Hilton is mainly franchising hotels or managing them, taking fees and a cut of the revenue. 15 talking about this. As he read the email—a private equity firm had purchased a hotel chain—he had a feeling the news was going to affect not just his job, but his life. Please enable cookies on your web browser in order to continue. Downtime (Very) frequent traveler dedicated to leading the world’s most hospitable company. Nassetta: ‘A balanced guy’ who lives near his family - The Washington Post. Nassetta “works really hard” to get home every weekend. By clicking “I agree” below, you consent to the use by us and our third-party partners of cookies and data gathered from your use of our platforms. Chris Nassetta's wife, Paige, likes dancing. But, oh Paige, if you could see Chris now. “Our strategy is asset-light,” he says. As a student at the University of Virginia, Chris Nassetta spent his summers working in hotels – cleaning, carrying bags and even plunging toilets. Father. Is he worried? McLEAN, Va. - Nearly every weekend, Chris Nassetta is cooking in his family's oversized kitchen, outfitted with two commercial-grade refrigerators, three sinks and a deep fryer. 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