Former Aimbridge Hospitality executive Aaron Walker and Azim Saju, CEO/president, HDG Hotels, have combined their industry experience to create ARK Hospitality, a Dallas-based development and management company.
“We’re committed to relationships, reputation and returns,” said Walker, ARK’s president/CEO, “which is why it was paramount to us that, ahead of launching, all systems be ready to support our owners and team members. Much of ARK will be powered by the culture, talent and systems for which HDG Hotels is known.”
Saju, CEO, ARK added, “With the essential infrastructure needed to successfully third-party manage already in place through HDG Hotels, ARK is ready to onboard hotels and teams nationwide. We may be a new entity by name, but we are not new to third-party management.”
Walker was most recently a VP, operations at Aimbridge Hospitality, where he oversaw multiple brands across the U.S. for more than 10 years. He was instrumental in helping lead two of the fastest-growing divisions within Aimbridge, the economy and economy extended-stay divisions.
Saju recently established a division within HDG Hotels called Impact, which is a partner with ARK Hospitality.
“For years, Aaron and I have talked about how successful a partnership between the two of us could be,” said Saju. “One of the positive outcomes of HDG creating multiple divisions is that it allowed me and Aaron the opportunity to build something together. So we built ARK.”
Walker added, “There is something special about our unique backgrounds coming together. Our families get along. I have tremendous respect for the leadership at HDG. I will bring my experience in third-party management that spans across the country and HDG/Impact will bring its track record, across brands, for results without compromising culture.”