Efrem Harkham
Efrem Harkham | |
---|---|
Born | |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Entrepreneur |
Children | 3 |
Relatives | Uri Harkham |
Website | LuxeHotels.com |
Efrem Harkham is an American hotelier and philanthropist from Beverly Hills, California.
Harkham is the Founder and CEO of LeHotels.com, a company representing 200 hotels globally, and LuxeHotels, an entity consisting of three luxury hotels based in Beverly Hills, California.
Early life[]
Efrem Harkham was born in an Orthodox Jewish family in Israel.[1][2][3] His maternal ancestors are keepers of Ezra's Tomb in Iraq.[4] However, he grew up in Australia.[1][3][5] He studied law at university.[6] He has a brother, Uri Harkham, the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Harkham Industries, a women's clothing company, Chairman Emeritus of Harkham Properties, and a Director of Public Storage.[7][8]
Career[]
Harkham started his career in the fashion industry.[2] He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Harkham Industries, representing the Jonathan Martin and Hype brands.[2]
He moved to Los Angeles in 1978.[2] Five years later, in 1983, he purchased the Bel-Air Summit Hotel, now known as the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel, located in Bel Air.[1][3][9] A decade later, in 1993, he purchased the Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel, located on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.[1][4] He subsequently added a third hotel to his portfolio, known as the Luxe City Center Hotel, located in Downtown Los Angeles.[2] The three hotels comprise the Luxe Hotels brand.[1]
He founded Luxe Worldwide Hotels in 1998.[10] He serves as its President and Chief Executive Officer.[10] The company provides marketing, sales and reservation services to 200 hotels globally, with a workforce of 315 employees.[1]
He serves on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Television Network.[3]
Philanthropy[]
In 1991, with his brother Uri, he donated $1 million to the Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy.[3] With his ex-wife, he also donated to the 2008 renovation of the Shalhevet High School, a co-education Orthodox Jewish school in Los Angeles.[11] Additionally, he has donated to the Orthodox Union and Chabad.[3]
He organizes the annual Apple Ball for the Beverly Hills Education Foundation.[6]
Personal life[]
He is a naturalized American citizen.[5] He was married to Kendra Harkham; they divorced in 2011.[12] He resides in Beverly Hills, California.[6]
References[]
- ^ a b c d e f Hugo Martin, Efrem Harkham oversees a world of hotels, Los Angeles Times, July 10, 2011
- ^ a b c d e Jacqueline Maddison, Beverly Hills Spotlight: Efrem Harkham, Beverly Hills Magazine, December 3, 2013
- ^ a b c d e f Naomi Pfefferman, Labor Pains, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, February 19, 1998
- ^ a b Laura Coleman, Luxe Celebrates 30-Year Anniversary; A Real Estate Venture That Went Global, The Beverly Hills Courier
- ^ a b Tamara Audi,In Los Angeles, Some Voters Cast Ballots in Luxury , The Wall Street Journal, November 4, 2014
- ^ a b c Keith Loria, Efrem Harkham: The Luxe Factor Archived 2014-12-05 at the Wayback Machine, C-Suite Quarterly, Q4 2013
- ^ Forbes: Uri Harkham
- ^ Bloomberg BusinessWeek: Uri Harkham
- ^ Luxe Hotels: History
- ^ a b Bloomberg BusinessWeek
- ^ David Suissa, A school with attitude, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, August 27, 2008
- ^ Mark David, Mary McDonald Sunburst Madness in Beverly Hills, Variety, June 8, 2011
- Living people
- Israeli emigrants to the United States
- People from Beverly Hills, California
- American hoteliers
- American chief executives of travel and tourism industry companies
- Philanthropists from California
- Jewish American philanthropists
- American Orthodox Jews
- American people of Iraqi-Jewish descent
- 21st-century American Jews