Sam Nazarian, SBE

Hospitality Design: What I've Learned

In 1979, as the Iranian Revolution swept through the streets of Tehran, Younes Nazarian and his wife Soraya Sarah made the decision to leave behind a successful construction business and move their family to the U.S., ultimately landing in Los Angeles. His youngest son, Sam, was only 3 years old at the time, but he watched his dad build a new life in America. Younes’ business acumen led him to become an early investor in technology company Qualcomm and eventually chairman of Nazarian Enterprises, which focused on a variety of interests in the private, public, and real estate markets.SB

Like his father, Sam, showcased a formidable drive. A smart, athletic kid, he played baseball and basketball in high school and college before attending NYU’s Stern School of Business. By 23, Sam had become the country’s largest distributor of Nextel, a wireless digital communications provider. A year later, he ventured into hotel real estate, buying the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. By the time he was 26, Sam had invested in 10 hotels and had even dipped his toes into film production on the side.

In 2006, he launched SBE—Sammy Boy Entertainment, a callback to a childhood nickname. After a series of successful nightclub venues, the first SLS hotel in Beverly Hills opened, a testament to his vision of blending F&B and nightlife into a cohesive luxury-meets-lifestyle experience.

As the SBE brand grew, so did Nazarian’s ambitions. In 2020, he sold the company to Accor, and this January, he announced HQ Projects, a strategic partnership with Wyndham that provides hotel owners with the freedom to craft their own hospitality stories.

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