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 | |
---|---|
Born | 1964/1965 (age 57–58)[1] |
Education | Cornell University (BS, MBA) |
Occupation | Business executive |
Employer | Ashford Inc. |
Title | Chairman 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
- Unrelated to the former African American newspaper of the same name that was active from 1892 to 1970.
References
- 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.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "Schedule 14A - Ashford Hospitality Prime, Inc". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. April 28, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "Monty Bennett". Bloomberg. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - "Ashford Hospitality Prime Rebranding to Braemar Hotels & Resorts" (Press release). National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts. April 23, 2018.
- "Monty J. Bennett". Global Hotel Network. Archived from the original on November 29, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- "Bennett, Monty J." The Wall Street Transcript. September 10, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 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.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Simek, Peter (June 2021). "The Real Story Behind the Dallas Express". D Magazine. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Gandel, Stephen (March 18, 2020). "Major hotel executive: "I've just cut 95% of my staff"". CBS News. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - Bengani, Priyanjana (October 14, 2021). "Advocacy groups and Metric Media collaborate on local 'community news'". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - 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) - "Advocacy groups and Metric Media collaborate on local 'community news'". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- Tim Rogers (May 28, 2021). "An Editor's Note About Monty Bennett". D Magazine. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- Markay, Lachlan (April 23, 2020). "Trump Donor Hired Trump-Tied Lobbyists, Then Raked in Coronavirus Relief Cash". The Daily Beast. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- Hanna, Bill (May 25, 2017). "Dallas settles legal fight with Monty Bennett over East Texas pipeline". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
External links
- "Hotel M&A becomes hot property for Chinese investors" – Bloomberg Markets video (2016)