HVMG Names Pete Sams President
ATLANTA, August 19, 2026—Hospitality Ventures Management Group (HVMG), an Atlanta-based operator of 60 premium-branded full-service hotels, resorts, and upscale select-service hotels, today announced that Pete Sams has joined the company as president. As president, Sams will oversee the day-to-day business and be responsible for company performance as HVMG continues its pursuit of operational excellence and enters its next phase of growth.
"After a thoughtful and diligent search process and spending
significant time getting to know Pete both personally and professionally, it
became very clear that he is the right person and an exceptional fit for this
role," said Robert Cole, founder and CEO. "We share a strong alignment around
leadership philosophy, and Pete brings a compelling combination of operational
excellence, industry relationships, financial and business acumen, and a proven
ability to develop high-performing teams."
Cole added, "His career provides a rare depth and breadth of
experience across the hospitality industry—from his first 10 years in finance
and accounting, to a decade in property-level general manager roles, to the
past 12 years in senior, above-property leadership overseeing full-service,
multi-unit operations. Finally, with Pete assuming the role of president,
I'll be able to take a step back from the day-to-day operations and devote more
of my time to strategy, strengthening our existing relationships and building
new ones that will support our continued growth."
Pete Sams
Sams joins HVMG most recently from Highgate Hotels, where he
served as president. Previously, Sams held multiple leadership roles within the
KSL portfolio, including serving for more than six years as chief operating
officer of Peregrine Hospitality and Davidson Hospitality Group. At Peregrine,
he helped launch a dedicated, in-house management platform for KSL Capital that
operated more than 45 distinguished hotels, including several premier
destination resorts. As COO of Davidson, the company doubled in size
during his tenure and won the prestigious J.D. Power Award for top guest
satisfaction among third-party operators.
Earlier in his career, Sams held corporate above-property
leadership positions with Interstate Hotels & Resorts and White Lodging
Services and spent more than a decade as a general manager with Omni Hotels
& Resorts, including at its 836-room flagship hotel in Washington, D.C.
After proudly serving in the U.S. Army, Sams earned his bachelor's degree in
finance from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
"I am honored to join HVMG as president at such an exciting time
in the company's evolution," Sams said. "As a founder of two companies and a
former general manager himself, Robert has built HVMG from a single hotel 25
years ago into an organization with a strong foundation, an inspiring culture
and values that align with my own. I am grateful for the opportunity to work
with Robert and lead this talented team as we build on that foundation,
continue raising the bar on performance and position HVMG for its next chapter
of growth."
