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Founder and CEO
Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners (AJ Capital Partners)
Since starting AJ Capital Partners in 2008, Ben Weprin has taken the company's name, Adventurous Journeys, to heart, developing and renovating hotels that would be on many a wishlist: Hotel Saint-Barth in the French West Indies, the Raleigh in South Beach, Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley, Soho House Chicago, Chicago Athletic Association (CAA), and most recently, the Pontchartrain in New Orleans. With a knack for rehabbing buildings full of soul and character (with the help of some design greats), in 2014, he set out on another adventure: the launch of Graduate Hotels, which brings affordable properties with hyper-local design to underserved college markets- Tempe, Arizona; Madison Wisconsin; Oxford, Mississippi; and Athens, Georgia, to name a few, with plans for 20 hotels by 2019. And he's only getting started, as it seems whatever the Midwesterner touches turns to gold. Over the phone, he and guest editor Jason Pomeranc chat about how he fell in love with hospitality, why it's important to think big, and how the secret to a successful collaboration is as simple as having a conversation.
How did you get into hospitality?
I had no experience in hospitality but I was working for prolific entrepreneur and restaurateur Larry Levy's family office, and he had just bought the Esperanza Los Cabos; he acquired the hotel in a partnership and then bought part of Auberge Resorts, the operating company. I had humble beginnings-I certainly wasn't exposed to luxury hospitality. I went down to the hotel [in Mexico] for the first time and I was sitting by the pool in my pressed chinos and blazer and it's 98 degrees. This woman walks up and asks me if I'd like a foot massage. Then another woman came around 40 minutes later and offered me a pineapple popsicle. I thought, 'This is the greatest thing I've ever experienced in my entire life.' So I fell in love with hospitality and all of the dynamics through my exposure with Auberge Resorts.
You launched AJ Capital in 2008. Why was it the right time?
It was market timing. There was an opportunity to acquire Larry's interest in Auberge. I love the brand, I loved the opportunity, and it was a...