A Note of Appreciation from Mr. Larry Blumberg
A Note from Mr. Larry Blumberg~
A couple of weeks ago we celebrated LBA’s 50th anniversary. Our first hotel, the Dothan Sheraton Motor Inn, opened on June 30, 1973. It was a 100-room full-service property. Below is a promotional postcard for that hotel. We did several additions and extensive renovations over the years and in 1990, rebranded it as a Holiday Inn. In 2010, we flagged it a Clarion Inn & Suites which we sold in 2018.
Sheraton Motor Inn Dothan
Today LBA Hospitality manages over 100 hotels with more than 11,000 rooms in 12 states. We have partnered with some outstanding owners who are growing their portfolios. In addition to this organic growth, we are talking to new groups about managing their hotels. While we are positioned for robust growth, we are committed to doing it in a way that embraces our core mission of valuing our associates and providing exemplary service to our guests.
As I reflect about the past 50 years, I am enormously proud of what we have accomplished. This success would not be possible without the dedication and hard work of you and your teams. To all of you, please know how much I appreciate what you are doing. Thank you for making LBA Hospitality one of the leaders in our industry.
From time to time, I have been asked how I got started in the hotel business. In 2014, it was a wonderful honor for me to be inducted into the Dothan Business Hall of Fame. In my acceptance speech, I tell my story. Below is a link which is a video of that event. After some introductory remarks by Barry Kraselsky, the former president of LBA, my talk begins. I hope this gives you a sense of our history.
Dothan Business Hall of Fame
With deep gratitude to all of you, Larry