Lark Hotels, a lifestyle brand and hospitality management company, has teamed up with Life House, a contextual hotel brand and operator, to form a joint venture operating under Lark Hospitality LLC (doing business as Lark).
The merged entity will encompass all Lark Hotels and Life House-branded hotels, restaurants, and bars. The combined portfolio will span nearly 100 independent properties with locations throughout the continental U.S., Hawaii, and Mexico.
Supported by Life House stakeholders Inovia Capital and Thayer Investment Partners, the partnership significantly expands Lark’s footprint, doubling its scale and enhancing its operational capabilities.
The new entity will have nearly $1 billion in assets under management, more than 3,000 total keys, nearly 1,500 employees during peak season, and a total annual revenue of more than $150 million under management. It will represent accommodations across 27 states.
A dining area at Block Island Beach House
The leadership team for Lark Hospitality will include Rob Blood (founder of Lark Hotels) as chairman, Peter Twachtman (CEO of Lark Hotels) continuing as CEO, and Marc Ghobriel (CEO of Life House) overseeing the transition of the Life House team.
“There is no company that has made everyone at Lark Hotels sharpen their pencils more than Life House,” says Blood. “Over the last five years, they have made us think deeply about who we are as a company, what our value proposition is for our stakeholders, and who we want to be going forward. As we come together, we look forward to incorporating the best practices of both of our companies to deliver exceptional experiences for our guests, investors, hotel owners, and teams.”
Lark will focus on further developing its individual brands, which include Lark Hotels, Bluebird by Lark, Blind Tiger, AWOL, and Lark Independent, as well as the Life House brand through partnerships with hotel owners, family offices, private equity firms, and real estate developers.
“The complementary strengths of Life House and Lark, both geographically and operationally, create a leader in the independent and boutique hotel management market,” adds Ghobriel. “We’re eager to continue focusing on delivering a great experience, to guests at the properties we manage, as well as to their owners, and we plan on investing in building a strong portfolio of brands across North America.”
Blind Tiger in Burlington, Vermont
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