Chris Russell

As the CEO of SPIRE Hospitality™, Chris Russell embodies the company’s belief in hands-on hotel management. Well respected for his ability to advance hotel performance and expand management portfolios, while never allowing rules, procedures, or technology to stand in the way of genuine, personalized, and dedicated service, Chris ensures that SPIRE leads the way in management operations and ROI.

Prior to joining SPIRE in 2018, Chris gained invaluable experience growing hotel management companies from the ground up. Recruited by Archon Group, a subsidiary of Goldman Sachs, Chris was tasked with starting and leading their in-house hotel management company, Archon Hospitality. With a clear mission to create a scalable hotel management platform and support Archon’s investor team with hotel acquisitions, dispositions, asset management, and strategic growth, Chris grew the Archon Hospitality brand into an industry-leading management company, despite the economic downturn of 2008. In 2011, Goldman Sachs sold the business. Following the sale, the Goldman Sachs hotel management division was rebranded as Pillar Hotels & Resorts, with Chris remaining it’s leader, as President & CEO. In that role, Chris successfully managed over $2 billion in assets, a portfolio of 260 hotels in 45 states, and over 8,000 employees. With the explosive growth of Pillar Hotels & Resorts under Chris’ leadership, he and his partners went on to sell the brand to Aimbridge Hospitality in 2016.

Chris’ extensive experience in leading high-performing teams, fostering a culture of transparency and collaboration, and finding a way to thrive regardless of economic circumstances, is founded on his commitment to exceeding guest and owner expectations at all times. By placing importance on the end result—guest satisfaction, employee growth, and investor ROI—Chris continually achieves unrivalled results in hotel management.