2023's Most Popular Episode: Homi Vazifdar - Founder & Exec. Director at The Canyon Group - Building the Future of Luxury Hospitality

Homi Vazifdar is Founder and Exec. Director of the Canyon Group, a boutique private equity company, based in Larkspur, California just of north San Francisco. The Canyon Group, which was co-founded by Vazifdar in 2005, owns and/or develops ultra-luxury resorts in exotic destinations around the world.

The Company currently owns assets in North America, Latin America, Mexico and the South Pacific. The Canyon Group’s resorts are managed by marquis brands such as Amanresorts, Six Senses, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts and Hyatt Hotels and Resorts. Under Vazifdar’s leadership, many of the Canyon Group’s ultra-luxury assets have achieved high global accolades and are considered the “Best in Class” with extraordinarily high occupancies and rates.

On this episode, Jake and Homi discuss:

- Selling a brand for $2m per key

- Building Amangiri and Amangani

- How to make experiential luxury work

- How to make select service hotels work

Links:

Canyon

Homi on LinkedIn

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Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:01:19) Homi’s journey into Real Estate and hospitality

(00:07:08) What is most important when you are reinventing yourself?

(00:08:08) Building Canyon and the focus on ultra-luxury assets

(00:27:50) Swapping federally controlled land and creating a profitable asset in remote Utah

(00:48:13) How do you make a tent experience work?

(00:54:10) How do you find labor and built infrastructure in these remote areas?

(00:57:47) Is establishing a sense of community at a resort important?

(01:03:32) How have you learned to invest and stay afloat during cycles?

(01:12:36) What will be the biggest challenge in replicating this new concept?

(01:14:35) Homi’s select service hotel

(01:20:49) What is your favorite hotel?