About Me
Dallas native and hotel tycoon Monty Bennett goes by "Bennett. Over 100 hotels in the United States are owned, managed, and operated by him and his teams through Ashford, Inc., Ashford Hospitality Trust, and Braemar Hotels and Resorts. In Texas, Mr. Bennett splits his time between Henderson County and Dallas, where he resides.
He has been amassing a portfolio of luxury homes since the '60s. Bennett has taken the family business public and increased the number of hotels from six to over 130 over the past few decades. The 13 resorts he owns and manages can be found in six states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
When it comes to education, Monty has a Cornell degree. The hotel tycoon was one of seven kids who grew up in Houston, Texas. He and his growing family have called Dallas, Texas, home for over 30 years, but he recently relocated to Athens, Texas, an hour southeast of Dallas.
Monty is the CEO of Ashford, Inc., the chairman and founder of Braemar Hotels & Resorts, and Ashford Hospitality Trust.
Monty Bennett started Braemar Hotels & Resorts in 2013 as a spinoff of Ashford Hospitality Trust. The firm now owns 13 properties thanks to his direction. Among these properties is the illustrious Ritz-Carlton St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe in Nevada County, California.
Braemar Hotels & Resorts has five tenets that reflect Bennett's values and serve as the company's foundation. Integrity, creativity, profitability, dedication, and tenacity are the five pillars of these guidelines.
In 2003, hotel tycoon Bennett founded Ashford Hospitality Trust. The trust's portfolio consists primarily of high-end, all-inclusive hotels. In 2013, Ashford Hospitality Trust started trading on the stock market. There are currently over 110 properties owned by the company, including some of the most recognizable hotels in the world, like the Ritz-Carlton Atlanta, W Hotel Atlanta, and Renaissance Nashville Hotel.
The hotel industry is where Ashford Hospitality Trust and its forerunners cut their teeth more than 50 years ago. Bennett, the company's founding chairman, CEO, and staff have amassed a wealth of knowledge thanks to many hotel cycles, disciplined market activities, and successful asset management. This has led to the trust's current stellar record of completed transactions.
Ashford Hospitality Trust and Braemar Hotels & Resorts adhere to the same five core values. It's also an integral part of the neighborhood and has a strong culture of giving. The company also hosts annual company-wide charitable events, such as Community Service Day, to positively support organizations that help the less fortunate.
In 2014, Monty Bennett started another business called Ashford, Inc. Its primary function is to provide advice to Braemar Hotels & Resorts and Ashford Hospitality Trust. Ashford, Inc. is an alternative asset management firm that serves as the sole global asset manager for Braemar Hotels & Resorts and Ashford Hospitality Trust.
As a bonus, they also cater to a wider range of strategic operating businesses and others in the hospitality and real estate industries.
Under Bennett's leadership, Ashford, Inc. also has a specialized Hospitality Products and Services division. With this forward-thinking unit, the company is in a strong position to invest in hospitality-related operating companies. In addition to providing these businesses with various proprietary platforms and third-party programs, Ashford, Inc. acts as an accelerator.
Monty attended Cornell University, earning a bachelor's degree in hotel administration with honors in 1989. In addition to his undergraduate degree, he also has a master's in business administration from Cornell University's S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management, making it clear that he is well-versed in business.
His membership in the Cornell Hotel Society will last for the rest of his life.
As a hospitality industry veteran for over 30 years, Monty Bennett is well-versed in just about everything. The hotel industry is highly specialized, requiring experts in many fields, such as real estate, finance, ownership, operations, development, asset management, and project management.
He has spent his entire career gaining executive-level knowledge of the hospitality industry. He continues to apply that knowledge by concentrating on its future development, projections, economics, news, insights, and more.
Throughout his decades-long career, Bennett has worked for notable companies like Braemar Hotels & Resorts, Ashford Hospitality Trust, and Ashford, Inc. He has also been a member of and held leadership positions within various influential industry groups. More than 100 charities, nonprofit organizations, and other good causes have benefited from his financial support throughout his career.
More than a hundred charities, nonprofit organizations, and other good causes have benefited from Monty's support, and he continues to give to them. The following are just a few examples:
Organization for Alzheimer's Research
American Boy Scouts
Charity for Burnt Children
Research Institute for Crohn's and Colitis
Society for Cystic Fibrosis Research
Research on Dyslexia
The Brave Heart Fund for Our Fallen Heroes
Proper nutrition and the fight against blindness
Humanity's Habitat
Nonprofit Organization Fighting Leukemia and Lymphoma
Foundation for Melanoma Research
Magical Results for Children
Society for the Study of Brain Tumors
North Texas Food Bank for the National Kidney Foundation
The Lyme Disease/Pancreatic Cancer Action Network/Salvation Army
Hospital for Sick Children at St. Jude
Sign up for the "Teach for America" Program
The YMSL Youth Achievers Foundation
He has spent his entire life fighting for the rights of children and all students to receive a quality education. It is especially rewarding for him to give back to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Also, the famous hotel tycoon has always advocated for the brother's ministry, Christian Union.
This category of pastimes and interests includes physical activity, game management, and reading. In his spare time, he likes fishing, hunting, and camping with his family and friends, especially at the ranch owned by his aunt and uncle in East Texas. At this point, three generations of Bennetts have owned a piece of the expansive 1,500-acre ranch in Athens.