John Pritzker

John Pritzker: Career Highlights

John Pritzker began his career in 1972 at Hyatt Hotels, the family business. He rose through the ranks and became Managing Director and Divisional Vice President in 1984. In 1988, he left Hyatt to pursue entrepreneurial activities.

In 1996, John Pritzker founded Mandara Spa, a chain of 72 resort spas. He sold 40% of Mandara Spa to Shiseido Co. in 2000 and the remaining 60% to Steiner Leisure Limited in 2001.

In 2005, John Pritzker co-founded the private equity firm Geolo Capital with Tom Gottlieb. Geolo Capital focused on investments in hospitality, entertainment, and health & wellness companies.

In 2009, Geolo Capital acquired Carmel Valley Ranch from Blackstone and reimagined it. Soon after, they purchased a majority interest in the Joie de Vivre boutique hotel chain.

In 2011, John Pritzker merged the Joie de Vivre chain with the Thompson Hotel Group to form Commune Hotels & Resorts. Commune Hotels operated 46 hotels with $450 million in revenues in 2012.

In 2016, Commune Hotels merged with Destination Hotels to form Two Roads Hospitality. Two Roads Hospitality had over 97 hotels and annual revenues of over $2.3 billion.

In 2018, Two Roads Hospitality was sold to Hyatt Corporation for $480 million.