Hospitality/Tourism: MICHAEL GEORGE

In 2001, George launched Crescent Hotels & Resorts, a hospitality company that manages more than 100 properties and 120 restaurants and bars in the United States and Canada. Crescent’s clients are executives for real estate investment trusts, private equity firms and major developers. His daughter, Caroline, is Crescent’s general counsel.

George has said that his job is to run profitable properties. “We understand that our employment depends on getting results — period,” he explained in a 2017 profile for Lodging, a publication of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

In addition to managing properties with the Marriott, IHG, Hyatt and Hilton brands, Crescent operates a collection of more than 30 independent hotels and resorts under its Latitudes label.

With more than 40 years in the hospitality industry, George started out as a general manager for Hilton, Westin and Sheraton hotels. Later, he served as senior vice president of operations for Colorado-based Destination Hotels & Resorts, a hospitality management company, and was chief operating officer for Sunstone Hotel Properties Inc., a real estate investment trust.

George sits on the board of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.