Alan Fuerstman

Alan Fuerstman, born 1956 in New Milford, New Jersey, is an American entrepreneur and business executive. He is best known as the founder of Montage Hotels & Resorts where he serves as the company's CEO. He is listed on the Haute 100 and has won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Early life and education

Fuerstman grew up in New Jersey and began working in the hospitality industry when he was 17. While attending New Milford High School, he worked part-time as a bellman for a Marriott Hotel. After high school, he attended Gettysburg College where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1978. Fuerstman accepted a position with Marriott to join its management training program. He moved on with ITT Sheraton where he was president and managing director of The Phoenician resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. With ITT Sheraton, he was also responsible for its luxury collection properties that included St. Regis Aspen and St. Regis Houston, as well as all of its properties in the state of Arizona. He was named the company's General Manager of the Year in 1993, with The Phoenician being named the company's hotel of the year while under his direction. During his time at the Bellagio, it became the first in Las Vegas to receive AAA Auto Club's five diamond rating.

Fuerstman left the Bellagio in 2000 and formed his own management company, Montage Hotels & Resorts, to develop luxury hotels. He described the company as an opportunity to break into the world of luxury hotels dominated by Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons. His first hotel was Montage in Laguna Beach in 2002. The price was the highest per-room price paid for a hotel in the United States that year and double the highest price paid in California for the previous year. Fuerstman grew Montage Hotels into 5 properties by 2014, namely two in California, one in Utah, one in South Carolina, and one in Hawaii.

Awards and recognition Fuerstman was awarded the 2007 Resort Executive of the Year, an award decided by leaders in the industry. In addition to being named "One to Watch" by Virtuoso for their Best of the Best Hotel Awards, Fuerstman was listed on the Haute 100 list in 2011. In 2014 he was given the Mondavi Wine & Food Award.

Personal life

Fuerstman is married to Susan J. Fuerstman and has four children. He has been on the board of trustees of Gettysburg College since 2006. He also serves on the advisory board for the Northern Arizona University School of Hotel and Restaurant Management.