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Blind Tiger, a Lark Hotels property in Burlington, Vermont (image by Matt Kisiday)
Lark Hotels has announced a joint venture with Life House, a contextual hotel brand and operator. The joint venture, operating under the name Lark Hospitality LLC or simply Lark, will include all existing Lark Hotels and Life House-branded hotels.
The collaboration will result in a combined portfolio of almost 100 independent properties, including locations across the continental United States, Hawaii, and Mexico. The portfolio will also encompass 33 restaurants and bars.
The venture will be spearheaded by industry leaders Rob Blood, the Founder of Lark Hotels, Peter Twachtman, the CEO of Lark Hotels, and Marc Ghobriel, CEO of Life House. Blood will serve as Chairman, Twachtman as CEO, and Ghobriel will lead the Life House transition team.
The joint venture will double Lark’s footprint and expand the company’s centralized team by incorporating key positions from Life House. This strategic move will facilitate enhanced hotel management, daily operations, hiring, technology, and marketing services designed to optimize owner cash flow.
Under the new entity, nearly $1 billion in assets will be managed, with accommodations represented in 27 states. The joint venture will also oversee over 3,000 total keys, employ nearly 1,500 workers during peak season, and manage annual revenue exceeding $150 million.
Rob Blood, founder of Lark Hotels, expressed excitement about the partnership, noting that Life House has inspired Lark Hotels to reevaluate its company identity and value proposition to stakeholders. He looks forward to combining the best practices of both companies to enhance services for guests, investors, hotel owners, and teams.
Marc Ghobriel, CEO of Life House, also highlighted the complementary strengths of Life House and Lark, both geographically and operationally. He expressed eagerness to enhance guest experiences further and to continue building a strong portfolio of brands across North America.
As one of the few remaining independent hospitality companies, Lark plans to focus on developing its brands, including Lark Hotels, Bluebird by Lark, Blind Tiger, AWOL, and Lark Independent, as well as the Life House brand. The company plans to continue leveraging its robust loyalty program to deliver exceptional guest experiences and valuable direct revenue for hotel owners.