Hunter Hotel Investment Conference Marks Its 35th Year by Honoring Bob Hunter, Founder, with the 2024 Hunter Conference Award for Excellence and Inspiration
The Hunter Hotel Investment Conference presents Bob Hunter, Founder of Hunter Hotel Advisors and Hunter Conference, with the 2024 Hunter Conference Award for Excellence and Inspiration. Each year, the award recognizes a hotelier who exemplifies exceptional leadership, citizenship, and innovation. From his start as a hotel broker to founding a nationally attended conference that hosts over 2,000 attendees, Bob Hunter has been a leader that has pioneered relationship-driven business and results.
Bob Hunter began his industry career as a general commercial real estate broker, where he worked on a wide range of investment deals. Upon receiving a call from a lender in need of selling a foreclosed hotel, Hunter ended up marking his first of many hotel transactions. Discovering his passion for working on hotel deals, Hunter established Hunter Hotel Advisors in 1978 in his hometown of Atlanta. After an impressive 40-year tenure as a hotel broker, Hunter handed over the reins to his sons, Teague, President and CEO, and Lee Hunter, COO, when he retired in 2018. Building upon their father's legacy, the two transformed the once-singular enterprise into one of the nation's premier hotel investment advisory firms. The company now boasts six offices strategically located in key cities, including Atlanta, Austin, Chattanooga, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York City.
Expanding upon his success in hotel brokerage, Hunter identified a gap in information and resources within the industry and envisioned a conference that would cater to all stakeholders, including emerging entrepreneurs. In collaboration with Georgia State University, he founded the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference, an event designed to foster networking and provide insights into the buying, selling, financing, and management of hotels. What began with 92 attendees in 1989 has grown into an annual gathering of over 2,000 industry professionals, marking its 35th year.
Bob Hunter expressed his gratitude, stating, “While I simply laid the foundation for the conference, my industry friends, alongside the outstanding work of the HUNTER team, built a brick house on top of it. I know HUNTER will continue to connect our industry in the decades to come.”
William Reynolds, Senior Managing Director of The Marcus Corporation and Hunter Conference Award Committee Chair, reflects on his relationship with Bob, “When I entered the hotel business in the mid 1980s, Bob Hunter was one of several mentors who taught me the investment side of the business. A total gentleman, he has remained a treasured industry friend. I am thrilled that he agreed to accept the award this year, when his modest inclination was to give it to someone else.”
Lee Hunter, COO of Hunter Hotel Advisors and Chairman of the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference, added, “It was a unanimous decision across our trusted Advisory Board that Bob be this year’s award recipient. I have been incredibly fortunate to witness firsthand the impact he has had on so many lives over the course of his career. As we celebrate 35 years as a conference this March, there could not have been a better time to honor him for all that he has done for our industry.”
A graduate of Georgia Tech and a former U.S. Air Force Officer, Hunter is a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants and achieved the designation of Certified Hotel Broker from the University of Texas/HBI. He enjoys spending his free time with family as well as playing croquet and tennis.
Teague and Lee Hunter will present Bob Hunter with the Hunter Conference Award for Excellence and Inspiration on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. EDT.