Atlanta, United States – Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG) has announced the appointment of Pete Sams as president. Sams, who most recently served as president of Highgate, will take charge of the group’s day-to-day operational management and portfolio performance. The appointment comes as HVMG embarks on what leadership describes as the next phase of its growth.
An appointment that reshuffles roles at the top
Robert Cole, founder and CEO of HVMG, says he led a thorough search process before settling on Pete Sams. He points to a strong alignment in management philosophy between the two executives, noting that Sams brings recognised operational expertise, an extensive industry network, solid financial acumen and a proven ability to build high-performing teams.
With Pete Sams taking up his new role, Robert Cole plans to devote more time to the group’s strategy and to strengthening relationships with existing and future partners, while gradually stepping back from day-to-day operations.
Three decades in American hospitality
Pete Sams joins HVMG after leading Highgate as president. He previously held several leadership roles within the KSL portfolio, including more than six years as chief operating officer of Peregrine Hospitality and of Davidson Hospitality Group. At Peregrine, he helped launch an integrated management platform for KSL Capital, which today operates more than 45 hotels, including several leading destination resorts.
Under his operational leadership, Davidson Hospitality Group doubled in size and was recognised with the J.D. Power Award for top guest satisfaction among third-party operators. Robert Cole notes that Pete Sams’ career spans the full breadth of the hospitality industry: his first ten years in finance and accounting, a decade in property-level general management, and twelve years in senior above-property leadership overseeing multi-site, full-service operations.
Earlier in his career, Pete Sams held corporate leadership positions at Interstate Hotels & Resorts and White Lodging Services, and spent more than a decade as a general manager with Omni Hotels & Resorts, including leading the group’s 836-room flagship property in Washington, D.C. A former member of the U.S. Army, he holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
HVMG, a leading operator in the U.S. Southeast
Founded twenty-five years ago around a single property, HVMG today operates 60 hotels, resorts and upscale select-service properties, plus one convention centre, spread across 16 states and totalling nearly 12,000 rooms. The group’s portfolio, which specialises in repositioning underperforming assets and optimising stabilised hotels, operates primarily under the Marriott, Hilton, Hard Rock and Hyatt brands.
In a statement, Pete Sams said he was honoured to join HVMG at a pivotal moment in its evolution. He praised Robert Cole for building the group from a single hotel twenty-five years ago into an organisation with a strong culture and values aligned with his own, and said he intends to build on that foundation to continue raising HVMG’s performance.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Pete Sams named President of Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG)
Joins from Highgate, where he served as president
Previously COO of Peregrine Hospitality and Davidson Hospitality Group (KSL portfolio), more than six years combined
Decade as General Manager with Omni Hotels & Resorts, including the group’s 836-room Washington, D.C. flagship
HVMG operates 60 hotels, resorts and one convention center across 16 states, nearly 12,000 rooms
Founder & CEO Robert Cole steps back from day-to-day operations to focus on strategy and partner relationships
