First Hospitality
First Hospitality is a privately held, Chicago-based hotel management, development, and investment company operating 55+ branded and independent hotels for institutional owners across the U.S., generating revenue through management fees, development fees, and its First Investors capital management arm.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1984
- HeadquartersRosamond, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What First Hospitality does
First Hospitality is a privately held, Chicago-headquartered hotel management, development, and investment company founded in 1984 by Stephen Schwartz. It operates as a third-party operator for hotel owners and institutional investors, managing a portfolio of 55+ branded and independent hotels spanning full-service, premium select, and lifestyle/independent segments under franchise flags from Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt. The portfolio comprises roughly 9,000+ keys and approximately 3,500 associates across the Midwest, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic United States, with disclosed revenue exceeding $250 million.
The company's service platform is built around four core lines: Hotel Management, Hotel Development, Restaurant & Bar Operations (formalized as a dedicated vertical in January 2026 through a partnership with Ring On Hook), and Investment Management via its affiliated First Investors arm. Underpinning operations is First Analytics, a proprietary daily-updated analytics and reporting suite featuring Dynamic GM Scorecards, Daily Performance Tracking, Guest Experience Insights, Market & Channel Analysis, and an Owner Portal built on Microsoft Power BI. The technology stack integrates third-party forecasting feeds (CoSTAR, CBRE, LARC) and a Stayntouch cloud PMS partnership for independent properties.
The revenue model is asset-light: management fees on hotel contracts, development fees on ground-up builds and repositionings, F&B management fees from the Ring On Hook joint vertical, and investment management and incentive fees from First Investors, which opened to outside capital in 2025 after a 35-year track record of >22% IRRs on nearly 100 invested hotels. The company is founder-controlled, with Sam Schwartz as Executive Chairman and majority owner, David Duncan as President & CEO since January 2020, and Stephen Schwartz as Chairman Emeritus. GTM is enterprise-direct: a dedicated Global Sales organization, a Chief Growth Officer-led business development team targeting sophisticated hotel owners, and brand-partner distribution through major flag loyalty systems.
First Hospitality firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- First Hospitality
- Legal name
- First Hospitality
- Website
- https://firsthospitality.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1984
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- First Hospitality is a privately held, Chicago-based hotel management, development, and investment company operating 55+ branded and independent hotels for institutional owners across the U.S., generating revenue through management fees, development fees, and its First Investors capital management arm.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
First Hospitality industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hotel Management Services
- NAICS
- Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (72111)
- SIC
- Hotels & Motels (7011)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hospitality (Hotel) Property Management (BPAJAGAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Hotel & Resort Restaurants (THAFACAH)
Keywords
Where First Hospitality is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rosamond
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
First Hospitality business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Third-Party Hotel Management Fees: First Hospitality generates revenue through management fees charged to hotel owners for operating their properties. The company manages branded hotels (Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Hyatt) and independent properties.
- Hotel Development Fees: Revenue from new hotel development, renovation, and repositioning projects, including ground-up development and adaptive reuse projects.
- Investment Management (First Investors): First Investors, the real estate investment affiliate, manages investment strategies and delivers returns to investors. Over 35 years, invested in nearly 100 hotels with IRRs over 22%. The company opened investment arm to outside capital in 2025.
- Restaurant & Bar Operations: Conceptualizing, constructing, and managing award-winning restaurants and bars within hotels, launched as dedicated vertical in 2026 in partnership with Ring On Hook.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
First Hospitality product offering
Product offeringCore offering
First Hospitality is a hotel management, development, and investment company that operates 55+ branded and independent hotels across the United States. The company provides comprehensive hospitality services including hotel management, restaurant and bar operations, hotel development, investment management, and consulting services for hotel owners, investors, and brand partners.
Product overview
First Hospitality is a hotel management and development company offering a comprehensive hospitality enterprise solutions platform encompassing hotel management, restaurant and bar operations, hotel development, investment management, and hospitality consulting services. The core platform is supported by proprietary technology tools including First Analytics (an analytics and reporting suite), GEO Playbook (search optimization), and an Owner Portal. The company manages a portfolio of 55+ branded and independent hotels across Full-Service, Premium Select, and Independent segments, partnering with major brands including Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt. The recent First Restaurants & Bars Vertical extends operational capabilities to include dedicated food and beverage concepts developed through a partnership with Ring On Hook.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hotel Management Nationally recognized hotel operator delivering results and smooth experience for owners and brand partners through operational platform enabling full-cycle execution with focus on building top-line revenue and driving bottom line results. Manages 55+ hotels across Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Hyatt brands.
- Restaurant & Bar Operations Complete resource for conceptualizing, constructing and managing award-winning restaurants and bars within hotel properties. Offers tailored approach for casual or fine dining experiences, positioning restaurants and bars as core growth drivers across the portfolio.
- Hotel Development Established development experts handling new builds, renovation or repositioning strategies, managing uncertainties, streamlining operations, and bringing hotels to life. Handles ground-up development and adaptive reuse projects.
Quantifiable outcome
- Delivered IRRs of over 22% on fully realized investments
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use First Hospitality
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
First Hospitality technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
AI capability2 records
Feature3 records
First Hospitality partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Ring On HookcoreStrategic partnership launched in January 2026 to create First Hospitality's dedicated restaurant & bar vertical. Ring On Hook supports concept development, design coordination, pre-opening execution, training, and post-opening performance optimization. The partnership aims to deliver distinctive, freestanding restaurant & bar concepts within First Hospitality properties.
- Major Hotel Brands (Marriott, Hilton, IHG, Hyatt)coreStrategic relationships with major hospitality brands including Marriott International (Autograph Collection, Tribute Portfolio, Renaissance, Sheraton, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites), Hilton (Curio Collection, DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, Tapestry, Hampton, Homewood Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Tempo), IHG (Holiday Inn, Candlewood Suites, voco), and Hyatt (House, Place).
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights7 records
First Hospitality competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
First Hospitality social profiles
Digital presenceFirst Hospitality compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
First Hospitality financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
First Hospitality leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
First Hospitality subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
First Hospitality funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
First Hospitality M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about First Hospitality
What does First Hospitality do?
First Hospitality is a hotel management, development, and investment company that operates 55+ branded and independent hotels across the United States. The company provides comprehensive hospitality services including hotel management, restaurant and bar operations, hotel development, investment management, and consulting services for hotel owners, investors, and brand partners.
Is First Hospitality a public or private company?
First Hospitality is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was First Hospitality founded?
First Hospitality was founded in 1984. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is First Hospitality based?
First Hospitality is headquartered in Rosamond, United States, in the North America region.
How does First Hospitality make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Third-Party Hotel Management Fees are the primary driver. The others are hotel Development Fees, investment Management (First Investors) and restaurant & Bar Operations.
Does First Hospitality have an API?
No public API is recorded for First Hospitality.
What industry is First Hospitality in?
First Hospitality's product category is Hotel Management Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJAGAG, Hospitality (Hotel) Property Management, with a secondary code of THAFACAH, Hotel & Resort Restaurants. Its NAICS code is 72111 and its SIC code is 7011.