Monty Bennett

Monty J. Bennett (born 1964 or 1965)[1] is an American businessman who founded and is the chairman and CEO of Ashford Inc., a hospitality real estate company. He is also the publisher of the Dallas Express, a news website launched in 2021 that covers daily news in Dallas, Texas.

Monty Bennett
Born1964/1965 (age 57–58)[1]
EducationCornell University (BS, MBA)
OccupationBusiness executive
EmployerAshford Inc.
TitleChairman and chief executive officer

Early life and education

Bennett grew up in Houston, Texas, as one of seven children. His father, Archie Bennett Jr., was also a hospitality executive. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration in 1988,[2] and a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University's Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management in 1989.[3]

Career

In 1989, Bennett co-founded and joined Remington Hotels, a hotel company co-owned by his father.[2] He grew the business from six hotels to over 130 by 2020, including Braemar real estate investment trust which operates 13 resort properties.[1] He was CEO of Braemar Hotels & Resorts until 2016 and since 2013 has remained its chairman.[4] He is also the founder of Ashford, a company that advises both Braemar Hotels & Resorts and Ashford Hospitality Trust, two publicly traded real estate investment trusts.[5] Bennett was the CEO of Ashford Hospitality Trust from its founding until 2017, and he remains the firm's chairman.[6]

In 2020, a number of large companies were criticized for receiving funds distributed through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).[7] Bennett's Ashford company received $56 million,[7] the largest such distribution.[8] The money was returned after the company received backlash. Ashford laid off or furloughed 95% of its 7,000 workers by late March 2020. Bennett forfeited 25% of his 2019 earned bonus, took a 20% cut in salary which he later took in stock only.[9] During this period, Ashford Trust designated 25 properties as "lodging for first responders, healthcare workers, and others affected by the pandemic".[7]

Bennett is the publisher of the Dallas Express, a daily news website launched in 2021 that covers news in Dallas, Texas.[10][lower-alpha 1] In October 2020, The New York Times reported that Bennett had pitched a media network run by Brian Timpone to publish articles about topics ranging from COVID-19 stimulus legislation to U.S.–China policy.[11][12][8] Bennett announced his acquisition of the Dallas Express in February 2021.[10][13]

Political involvement

Bennett has been a donor to the Republican Party, donating more than $1.1 million to Donald Trump's presidential campaigns and to the Republican National Committee between the 2016 election and May 2020.[7][14] As of 2019, Bennett was on the advisory board of Texans for Education Reform.[5]

Personal life

Bennett is married and has four children—two from a previous marriage, and two stepchildren. He lives in Dallas, where he has lived for more than 30 years. He also owns a 1,500-acre ranch in Athens, Texas, a portion of which has been in his family for three generations.[1]

In 2014, he won an out-of-court settlement against the Tarrant Regional Water District to divert a pipeline from running across his property, having created a conservation district on his land and brought endangered animals to live on the land, amongst other exotic animals he already had.[1][15]

Notes

  1. Unrelated to the former African American newspaper of the same name that was active from 1892 to 1970.

References

  1. Walters, Natalie (July 5, 2020). "Villain or victim? How Dallas hotelier Monty Bennett became PPP's face of corporate greed". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved October 1, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. "Schedule 14A - Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. April 28, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "Monty Bennett". Bloomberg. Retrieved March 17, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. "Ashford Hospitality Prime Rebranding to Braemar Hotels & Resorts" (Press release). National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts. April 23, 2018.
  5. "Monty J. Bennett". Global Hotel Network. Archived from the original on November 29, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  6. "Bennett, Monty J." The Wall Street Transcript. September 10, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. Stone, Madeline (May 4, 2020). "Everything we know about Monty Bennett, the Trump megadonor whose hotel conglomerate is returning its PPP funds after backlash". Business Insider. Retrieved November 12, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. Simek, Peter (June 2021). "The Real Story Behind the Dallas Express". D Magazine. Retrieved November 12, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. Gandel, Stephen (March 18, 2020). "Major hotel executive: "I've just cut 95% of my staff"". CBS News. Retrieved November 12, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. Bengani, Priyanjana (October 14, 2021). "Advocacy groups and Metric Media collaborate on local 'community news'". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved November 12, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. Alba, Davey; Nicas, Jack (October 18, 2020). "As Local News Dies, a Pay-for-Play Network Rises in Its Place". The New York Times. Retrieved March 2, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. "Advocacy groups and Metric Media collaborate on local 'community news'". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  13. Tim Rogers (May 28, 2021). "An Editor's Note About Monty Bennett". D Magazine. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  14. Markay, Lachlan (April 23, 2020). "Trump Donor Hired Trump-Tied Lobbyists, Then Raked in Coronavirus Relief Cash". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  15. Hanna, Bill (May 25, 2017). "Dallas settles legal fight with Monty Bennett over East Texas pipeline". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
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