Barry Sternlicht

“The best advice is often the compliments received, and they are often about an associate who did something exceptional. I tell my teams that it's the random acts of kindness, the unexpected, that people remember most.”

“If it can be profitable to be green, that's just smart business.”

“I like to go to my simple cottage by the ocean or, really, any beach!”

“It is very important that a leader in the hotel industry be both creative, I think, and compassionate.”

“We have an impact on nature, and nature has an impact on us.”

“The American dream is still to own your home.”

“I've been down to the Ecolodge in Panama, but there really are only a handful of real green hotels in the U.S.”

“I went to Brown University, but my mom said I couldn't be an artist because I would starve.”

“It's cheaper to buy a house and finance it than it is to rent in many markets.”

“Properties have different characteristics, like companies, and the market throws up more opportunities because it is inefficient.”

“If I had high-ticker 10 percent financing, which would probably be the market rate, I would have to dump stuff. The interest payments would be killing me.”

“Booking windows are shrinking, and customers are going mobile: trends which position HotelTonight perfectly for the future.”

“I've been a supporter of green initiatives for years. I've been paying more and more attention to it, you know, with three kids. I thought it was tragic when the Kyoto Protocol was killed by the U.S. It was sort of a call to action.”

“Pay attention to the big themes because that's what will help you earn ten times your money.”

“I suppose I was a frustrated artist. I like fitting things together, and there are plenty of different ways to do that with real estate.”

“As the facts change, change your thesis. Don't be a stubborn mule, or you'll get killed.”

“There has to be a way to live the life you're accustomed to and not sacrifice things. Americans are not very good about sacrificing.”

“I wanted to start a hotel company from scratch.”

“There's more single-family homes rented in the United States then there are apartments.”

“I see Baccarat in major gateway cities like Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong and exotic resort locations.”