Hotel management, investment, and development firm Highgate announced that Pete Sams took the helm as its new president yesterday, 7th July.
In this newly created role, Sams will focus on optimising business performance to achieve outstanding financial results for owners, deliver memorable guest experiences, and expand opportunities for associates.
This strategic move reaffirms Highgate’s unwavering commitment to raising the bar in hospitality operations by building a world-class team committed to creating lasting value and leading outcomes for stakeholders.
Highgate co-chair and managing principal Mahmood Khimji said of Sams: “Pete brings an extraordinary track record of unlocking performance, energizing teams, and delivering sustained results across complex portfolios. His dynamic leadership and deep operational expertise will be a catalyst to sharpen our strategic focus, accelerate growth, and elevate the value we deliver to our owners and partners around the world.”
Sams himself commented on his appointment, saying: “I am honoured to step into the role of President of the premier operator in our space. Highgate’s mission to build a future-ready organization anchored in operational excellence, guided by strategic foresight, and driven by a relentless focus on value creation is deeply inspiring. I am grateful for the opportunity to bring my experience to this dynamic team. Together with our stakeholders, we will enhance Highgate’s role as an industry leader in innovation and trusted partnership.”
Key responsibilities
As president, Sams will oversee enterprise-wide performance across Highgate’s portfolio of 500 properties while strengthening the company’s focus on its people-first culture.
Working closely with Highgate’s principals, including principal and CEO Arash Azarbarzin and discipline leaders, Sams will harness the company’s scale, leveraging its capabilities across systems, talent, procurement, and market intelligence to deliver meaningful value for owners and partners.
His arrival will reinforce Highgate’s leadership position in the hospitality industry, enhancing organizational agility and ensuring high-fidelity execution across the portfolio while contributing to its culture of innovation.
Meet Pete Sams
With 30 years of transformational leadership and best-in-class results, Sams has a proven track record of driving profitability and organizational excellence.
Most recently, he served as the chief operating officer at Peregrine Hospitality, formerly KSL Resorts, where he led performance management, operational optimization, and strategic direction of a rapidly expanding portfolio of luxury, lifestyle, resort, and select service properties.
Before Peregrine, Sams served as chief operating officer of the Davidson Hospitality Group, where he oversaw a portfolio of more than 85 properties and successfully guided the organization through significant growth.
Earlier in his career, Sams served as executive vice-president of full-service operations at Interstate Hotels & Resorts, regional vice-president at White Lodging Services, as well as nearly two decades with Omni Hotels, where he began his hospitality journey and ultimately grew to serve numerous key leadership positions including general manager and area director of finance.
Sams is a proud veteran of the United States Army and is a graduate of Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, where he earned a Bachelor of Science with honours in Finance.
He continues to serve the hospitality industry through his contributions on brand advisory boards and as a two-term representative on the AH&LA Board of Directors.
