THE STORY OF STONEBRIDGE COMPANIES

The Residence Inn Seattle is designed for extended stay with apartment-style suites, fully equipped kitchens, all in an urban downtown environment. In the lobby is cold craft beer and local cuisine.

OF STONEBRIDGE COMPANIES

Breaking New Ground The Story

Copyright ® 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Stonebridge Companies.

4949 S. Niagara Street • Suite 300 Denver, Colorado 80237 sbcos.com

Writer Stacy Moser

Editor

Rob Levin

Designer

Rick Korab

Project Manager Jason Gaede

Production

Renée Peyton

Copyediting Bob Land

FOREWORD

Page IX

CHAPTER ONE

The Accidental Hotelier

1991–2010

Page 1

CHAPTER TWO

Embracing Opportunity

2011–2016

Page 17

CHAPTER THREE

Stonebridge Today—

Creating a Legacy

2017–2021

Page 31

STONEBRIDGE COMPANIES HONORS AND AWARDS

Page 43

TIMELINE Page 44

STONEBRIDGE PROPERTIES THROUGH THE YEARS

Page 46

At the Denver Tech Center is Stonebridge’s DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. Situated next to I-25, it is perfect for corporate functions (including twenty-one meeting rooms) and is near Merrill Lynch and PepsiCo. Indoor and outdoor pools are on the premises and the light rail station is only a few minutes away.

The journey from Colchester to Colorado was decades in the making, from the English town of the boarding school i attended to the mountain peaks of the Rocky Mountain West. To say it was a difficult climb would be an understatement, but every step of the way was a valuable learning experience, and every new property—from the humble Bronco inn to top-tier properties on both coasts and in Alaska—presented its own challenges.

You don’t hang a “Welcome” sign in front of over 15,000 hotel rooms across America without accumulating a wealth of real estate knowledge, especially as it pertains to the hospitality industry. And i learned hard lessons as well. As a college professor at the University of Denver once wrote, much of life is “learning that the perfect plan can fail, the unsinkable ship can go down.” but enhanced. The same can be said of the banks and individuals who, time and again, have put down cash to see brick and mortar go up. it’s more than a monetary return on investment—it’s knowing that the Stonebridge Companies team will perform beyond market expectations. They are all equally valuable members of the Stonebridge team. Without these investors, the banks, and the hotel companies, the nationwide footprint of our company would be infinitely smaller.

But mostly i learned that you can’t go it alone. if there were mistakes, i own them. But the victories—those glorious times when everything falls into place—are the results of a team effort, the combined work of some of the best hoteliers in the world who choose to be with Stonebridge Companies and i’m honored to call them friends and colleagues.

There is no better comfort than knowing that your name is well represented in every “hello” spoken to every new face that approaches hundreds of guest registration desks every day, that each impeccably clean room is a sign of appreciation, that every problem finds a quick solution because of our dedicated teams. Comfort for me is knowing that guests feel right at home each time they return to our lodging at the end of a day, whether it was a busy workday or a fun day with their families. That this is accomplished seamlessly, so much of it never seen but by a few people, is the mark of professionals.

And of course, there would be nothing without our guests. As i say near the beginning of our story in this book, “Our guests who stay with us each night—without them, we have no purpose.” We are humbled and honored with each reservation and we hope we have served them all exceptionally well, from check-in to check-out, from a late-night dinner to morning coffee. At Stonebridge, guests are not just heads in beds—they are guests in our homes and our team strives to ensure they always feel that way.

Navin Dimond Chairman Stonebridge Companies

But the greatest comfort over the last thirty years, the one steadying force that has been with me at each step, has been my wife, Rita. if i was hands-on, she was all in; if i had high expectations, hers were in another orbit. if i had knowledge, she had the greater value of wisdom. Stonebridge Companies success today is as much a tribute to her resolve, energy, dedication, and talents as any other factor in three decades. And now knowing that our two talented daughters, Ashley (who recently joined our team) and Sonja, are in the process of making their own marks in the industry is a tribute to us that we both cherish.

Welcome to our Stonebridge hotel. We hope you stay a while.

Equally valuable to Stonebridge’s success are the wonderful partners from the world’s marquis brand names in the hotel industry who trust us to ensure that their reputations are not only protected,

Navin Dimond Chairman and CEO

The Jaquard Hotel & Rooftop in Denver’s Cherry Creek neighborhood redefined hospitality, not only in Denver but throughout the Rocky Mountain West. Located in a neighborhood known for fashion, art, and business, this Stonebridge property fit right in. On the top is the rooftop pool bar and below are rooms with custom-design furnishings and curated art.