Sam Nazarian

Nazarian was born to a Persian Jewish family in Tehran in 1975.[1] The Nazarian family immigrated to the United States following the Iranian Revolution.[2] He is the son of Younes Nazarian who made a fortune along with his brother Izak Parviz Nazarian as an early investor in Qualcomm.[2] He was raised in Beverly Hills, California where he attended Beverly Hills High School and later studied at the University of Southern California.[1]

His first entrepreneurial venture was in 1998 when he invested a little bit of money into Platinum Wireless, a telecommunications business specializing in the distribution of Nextel software. Within one year of its founding, Platinum Wireless was the number one Nextel distributor in Southern California.[3] He then entered the real estate industry by diversifying his family's assets into real estate holdings, beginning with the establishment of 3Wall Development in 1999. Under Sam's guidance, 3Wall became one of Southern California's largest multi-family housing owners.[4]

Nazarian’s hospitality career began in 2002 with the founding of sbe Entertainment Group which grew to include such brands as SLS Hotels, Hyde Lounge and Mondrian Hotels.

In 2003, when Sam Nazarian opened Shelter,[5] he not only transformed the Sunset Strip; he transformed the world of nightlife. Shelter, which was soon rebranded to Hyde Sunset,[6] was more than a buzzy, exclusive and intimate lounge; it was a cultural touchstone. It not only responded to but also created a powerful cultural moment, lodging itself firmly into the collective consciousness of a generation of young, stylish tastemakers, and establishing itself as one of the first truly iconic hospitality brands of the 21st century.

In 2006, sbe founder, Sam Nazarian, opened the first Katsuya in the heart of Brentwood alongside Chef Uechi,[7] known for his innovative style and expert execution of traditional Japanese sushi. Nazarian’s commitment to high-end design and intricate hospitality, combined with Master Chef Uechi’s unique cuisine, took the LA scene by storm. Known for his inventive style and expert execution of traditional Japanese sushi, Uechi is a trendsetter in the contemporary sushi world. Katsuya, his collaboration with sbe, has become a touchstone for hip dining in Southern California, Miami and the Middle East. The latest opening for Katsuya was in New York City in 2021.[8]

Katsuya was named one of the Best New Restaurants of 2007 by Travel + Leisure Magazine and heralded as “one of the most exciting restaurants to open in Los Angeles in years” by Food & Wine Magazine the same year. Uechi was also named “Chef of the Year” by Angeleno Magazine. With new locations in Miami, Las Vegas, Nassau and Dubai, Katsuya’s expert cuisine has become known internationally. Chef Uechi brings over three decades of culinary and restaurant-operation expertise to his role at sbe.

In 2008, Sam opened the first SLS hotel with SLS Beverly Hills.[9] The opening of SLS Beverly Hills, sbe's first SLS hotel, designed by award-winning French visionary Philippe Starck, represented not only an unprecedented design vision at the time but was also revolutionary in its food and beverage offering with the creation of The Bazaar by José Andrés, bringing the hotel and Los Angeles an unmatched culinary experience under the same roof, along with a luxurious retail space.

In 2013, Sam opened SLS South Beach.[10] SLS South Beach continues to deliver on the promise of SLS.  Trendsetting designer Philippe Starck conjured a world of radical chic that nods to the hedonistic excesses of the 18th century French aristocracy, Boasting restaurants by chefs José Andrés and Katsuya Uechi, and an extravagant beach club that could only be Hyde, SLS South Beach has become the go-to destination for a new generation of discriminating pleasure seekers.

In 2015, Sam opened SLS Baha Mar[11] at the Baha Mar[12] resort. A dynamic dining destination, SLS Baha Mar harnesses the culinary expertise of award-winning chefs and the energy of our dynamic nightlife offerings with 5 venues programmed by sbe at opening: Fi’lia, Cleo, Katsuya, Monkey Bar, Bond; followed by an additional 5 added after the wild success of the previous venues: Carna by Dario Cecchini, Privilege, Skybar, Umami Burger, Bungalow, 25 Degrees. In 2018, SLS Baha Mar was named on the Travel + Leisure It List[13] as one of the best hotels in the world.

In 2016 Sam Nazarian completed the acquisition of Morgans Hotel Group.[14] Sam Nazarian’s privately owned SBE Entertainment Group, which includes the SLS Hotels brand, won its bid to acquire New York-based Morgans Hotel Group Co. for $82 million, paying $2.25 per share in cash for the outstanding shares of Morgans Hotel Group. This meant the SLS brand was now joined by Ian Schrager's Delano, Mondrian, Sanderson, St Martins Lane, Royalton, Clift, and Hudson brands. The deal included the purchase of all of Morgans’ brands, as well as buying Morgans’ three owned properties (The Delano South Beach, Hudson Hotel in New York, and the Clift Hotel in San Francisco). Together, the combined company will have 20 hotels and the Morgans transaction is worth an estimated $794 million.[15]

In 2017, Sam Nazarian opened Mondrian Doha,[16] Mondrian Doha was designed by Marcel Wanders and nods to the provocative spirit of the brand, with venues that pulse to the electric Mondrian beat. With food and nightlife venues spread across eight different locations in the property, there is nothing Mondrian Doha in the entire region. Mondrian Doha’s venues originally programmed by sbe include Morimoto, Cut by Wolfgang Puck, Walima, Hudson Tavern, Rise, Black Orchid, Smoke & Mirrors and EllaMia.

In 2019, SLS Beverly Hills Named #1 Hotel in the World, #1 in the United States and #1 in Los Angeles by Conde Nast Traveler 2019 Readers' Choice Awards.[17] This honorable recognition made by Conde Nast also comes on the heels of SLS Beverly Hills' Spring 2019 acknowledgments by the Michelin Guide, with two of the hotel's restaurants being MICHELIN-starred in the inaugural California Guide – Somni and The Bazaar by José Andrés. sbe had an especially strong showing with six properties within the sbe portfolio being recognized among the top 25 properties of all hotels nominated. Alongside this incredible achievement by SLS Beverly Hills, sbe brands proudly earned 5 additional seats on Conde Nast's renowned lists including "Top 25 Resorts in the Atlantic Islands" with SLS Baha Mar (#24), "Top 20 Hotels in Miami" with SLS South Beach (#17) and Shore Club South Beach (#18), "Top 20 Hotels in Los Angeles" with SLS Beverly Hills (#1) and Mondrian Los Angeles (#20), and finally "Top 30 Hotels in New York City" with Mondrian Park Avenue (#22).

In 2020, Sam Nazarian opened SLS Dubai.[18] SLS is Dubai one of the tallest hotels and residences in the region. The impressive 75-storey tower features diverse culinary venues including S Bar, the grand marble bar and lounge area, Privilege, an Instagram-worthy lounge and nightlife venue, EllaMia, a modern yet sophisticated cafè, 12 Chairs, a caviar bar which promises a sensory experience, Carna, by the famed award-winning Italian butcher Dario Cecchini and Fi’lia, a female-led Italian concept.

In 2020, Nazarian sold the remaining 50% stake of sbe’s hotel platform to Accor Hotels[19] to focus on C3’s global food-tech platform and full ownership of sbe’s Disruptive Restaurant Group.[20] The $850 million cash and asset swap deal was groundbreaking for the lifestyle hotel category. Seeing an opportunity to expand his expertise into the culinary world, Sam added Disruptive Restaurant Group (DRG) to his entrepreneurial roster, which soon became the leading restaurant and nightlife group devoted to visionary and award-winning culinary experiences, with elevated concepts like Katsuya, S Bar, Life Rooftop in NYC, and the newly opened Sa’Moto and Hyde Sunset Kitchen + Cocktails.

In February 2020, Sam launched C3 (Creating Culinary Communities), in partnership with Accor and Simon Property Group.[21] Additional investors include Brookfield Global Asset Management, REEF Technology and participation from Egon Durban and Greg Mondre, Managing Partners and Co-CEOs of Silver Lake Partners, along with Dean Adler, Co-Founder of real estate investment firm Lubert-Adler. Sam’s vision for C3 is to re-imagine the food industry by introducing the world to a revolutionary way to approach food halls, ghost kitchens and mobile delivery via world-class culinary talent and technology. The first company of its kind, C3 is now the world’s fastest-growing global food tech platform centered on digital kitchens and IP.

In 2021 Sam Nazarian opened Citizens Manhattan West.[22] Rockwell Group[23] was brought on to design the spaces. Citizens Manhattan West is a 40,000 square foot immersive culinary destination operated by C3, the revolutionary food and beverage platform founded by Sam Nazarian. The Culinary Market boasts 15 distinct fast-casual brands for lunch, and two full-service restaurants and a bar anchor the property. The brands featured in the state of the art food hall include Cicci di Carne by Dario Cecchini, Cindy Lou's Cookies, El Pollo Verde by Dani García, Krispy Rice, Kumi, Plant Nation, Sa'Moto by Iron Chef Morimoto, Sam's Crispy Chicken, Soom Soom, Stonie Bowls, Umami Burger and more. The full service restaurants are Katsuya and Casa Dani by Dani Garcia,[24] along with S Bar.

In 2023, Sam Nazarian opened Citizens Phipps Plaza.[25] Citizens Market features eight restaurant stalls offering everything from sushi and burgers to fried chicken sandwiches and kaarage combo meals backed by big name chefs like Dani Garcia, Masaharu Morimoto of Iron Chef fame, and Italian chef and master butcher Dario Cecchini. A full-service, indoor-outdoor bar serves cocktails, non-alcoholic drinks, wines by the glass, and local beers from several Atlanta breweries. The bar at Citizens Market also opens up onto a new green space at the mall complex which offers patio seating stretching beyond the food hall into the courtyard.

Nazarian has served as executive producer for the films Waiting..., Down in the Valley, Five Fingers, The Last Time, Pride, Mr. Brooks and College.

In 2006, Nazarian was honored as the youngest executive to be named one of the "Top 100 Most Powerful People in Southern California" by West,[26] the Los Angeles Times Magazine, and was named among "The Influentials".[27] Since 2008, Nazarian has served on the board of directors of the Southern California Institute of Architecture.[28] The Beverly Hills High School basketball court was renamed "Sam Nazarian Court" after Nazarian, a 1993 Beverly Hills High School graduate, made a $200,000 donation to the Beverly Hills Athletic Alumni Association.[29] In July 2009, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appointed Nazarian to the Board of Airport Commissioners of Los Angeles World Airports. In 2014, Nazarian was named to Fortune's 40 Under 40 list.[30]