Our Story
Our team has worked for decades in a variety of environments, locations and markets to efficiently and effectively manage all types of hotels and resorts. We have watched this industry change from a service-centric business to an overly unbalanced paradigm that sacrificed service for profit. Our company believes in people first. We care about their lives, their families, and the aspirations they harbor to improve their families and be part of an organization that appreciates what they provide and contribute. Our executives were not born wealthy, nor were they given unfair systemic advantages as they pursued their passions. Rather, they came from humble beginnings and dedicated themselves to working in the most rewarding and exciting business in the world – The Hospitality Business.
Torrey Pines Hotel Group was launched for one specific reason: to return the hospitality business to its original roots; that of people serving and caring for people. Our objective is to employ, respect, promote, an inspire a culturally diverse group of associates to grow and enjoy their careers while simultaneously ensuring that our investors, guests and anyone we do business with unmistakably feels the intensity of our convictions to represent and manage their investments professionally. We believe in definable and measurable results and revolve around the premise that hard work, understanding the details of your business and competition be the focus of our approach. Hotels and obtaining results are 24-hour businesses that require consistent and excellent leadership by all who are given the mantle of responsibility.
“As a new company, we have dedicated ourselves to building the most respected capital and hospitality platform in the industry. Our goal is to be regarded by our peers and investors as one of the great organizations and management teams of our time”
How We Work
Our company will deploy its own capital resources to acquire unique properties.
We welcome joint venture partnerships where our investment thesis and values are aligned.
We will also raise and deploy capital on behalf of investors and professionally manage their assets.
Our underwriting efforts are realistic, and ensure that investor returns are achieved through dedication, hard work, superior analytics, integrity, and consistent systems.
We believe guests and patrons who experience our properties will be the result of TPHG creating a visionary design with custom service processes.
Our Executive Team
Michael J. Slosser
Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Slosser is the past President of Howard Hughes Hospitality where he managed all hospitality related assets within a $6b publicly traded real estate company. He has an extensive background in world-class resort operations and has managed over 25+ iconic hotels and resorts during his 35-years in the hospitality business. Over the course of his career he has developed, built, renovated, repositioned, and managed large complicated hotel and real estate projects. Michael is most notably recognized for his achievements in fundamentally envisioning, branding, designing, managing, and changing hospitality assets to optimize real estate values for owners and investors.
Trained originally by Westin Hotels & Resorts, Mr. Slosser went on to work with Hilton Hotels, and Destination Hotels & Resorts. He furthered his expertise in development and managed some of the highest rated hospitality assets in the world. He had the opportunity to work with some of the most influential entrepreneurs and business leaders in the U.S. including David H.Murdock, Merv Griffin, and the former White House Chief of Staff H.R.Haldeman in the Nixon Administration. Most recently, Michael managed a hospitality portfolio along with a $1b project in lower Manhattan, New York for the Howard Hughes Corporation that was opened in the summer of 2019.
Challenging conventional thinking with respect to operations, marketing, technology, architecture, and inspiring people, remain his passionate focus in future endeavors. Over the course of his career he has delivered excellent financial results and optimized real estate value on a consistent basis.
Mr. Slosser holds a bachelors degree in business from Michigan State University: School of Hospitality and Restaurant Management.
Kit Pappas
Chief Operating Officer
A native from the state Michigan, Mr. Pappas has had a long and distinguished career operating world-class hotels and resorts over the last 35-years. Kit was trained by Westin Hotels & Resorts and subsequently worked with Renaissance Hotels, Ritz Carlton, Hard Rock Hotels, Tishman Hotel Company, and the Capella Hotel Group.
Horst Schulze, former Chairman of Ritz-Carlton, selected Kit to lead the Sales and Marketing efforts for the launch of Capella Hotels and Resorts, Solis Hotels and Resorts along with the Independent Hotels that made up the Capella Hotel Group. Based on the success of the hotels in Europe, The United Kingdom, Russia, China, Southeast Asia, Mexico, the Caribbean and New Zealand, Kit was promoted to Chief Operating Officer and oversaw the operations and owner relationships for 14 Hotels in nine different countries.
These opportunities arose following his tenure at Ritz-Carlton, where as Vice-President Sales and Marketing for Pre-Opening Hotels, Kit was responsible for the Sales and Marketing activities to successfully open 21 Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts. He has also been a General Manager responsible for opening the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago and Renaissance O’Hare Hotel.
Overall, Kit possesses exceptional skills in the global 4-5 star hotel market. Mr Pappas is a recognized expert in opening and managing, both branded and independent luxury hotels and has proven to be adept at leading culturally diverse organizations throughout the world.
Kit holds a bachelors degree in business from Michigan State University; School of Hospitality and Hotel Management
Adam Lowe
Senior Vice President, Head of Global Hospitality Development
Adam Lowe spearheads global business development for Torrey Pines Hotel Group and plays an essential role in identifying strategic markets and partners who desire to optimize hospitality related assets around the world. Throughout his unique career, Adam has executed transactions at the highest levels with some of the most interesting owners, investors, and entrepreneurs imaginable.
He has been a very high-level gem and diamond principal, whereby trust and expertise is critical to those who have done business with his organization. He has spent a lifetime for his relatively young years traversing the globe to manage gem transactions from Hong-Kong, to Israel, Saudi Arabia and beyond. Most notably, his products have included an elusive red diamond and a large 18-carat orange diamond. Adams day generally begins in the early morning hours on the east coast and more often than not, may require travel to distant locations such as Mumbai, Mongolia, Pakistan, Medellin, and many other parts of the world where deals are sealed with industry trademark symbolic handshakes.
Mr. Lowe brings a wealth of international experience and noteworthy relationships that seek to work closely with Torrey Pines Hotel Group who value unquestioned trust, character, and share the values of our firm. Adam is an important addition to our team as we embark on finding, acquiring, developing, building and managing some of the most interesting and demanding projects around the world.
Tom Moore
Chief Development Officer
Tom is the President of Project Management International, LLC a privately held development, design, and construction management firm which provides owner representation services to clients with real estate assets in the hospitality, casino, retail, and healthcare industries. Some of his more notable clients include Goldman Sachs, Highgate Hotels, Legacy Development, in addition to Hotel REITS, at properties that are located from New York to Honolulu and Aruba to Minneapolis.
Prior to his current role, Mr. Moore led the Design and Construction efforts for Station Casinos, Harrah’s Entertainment, Ruffin Development, and American Casino and Entertainment Properties. Over his career he has overseen the deployment of more than $10 Billion of project capital at some of the most recognizable developments in the hospitality, gaming, and retail industries. In these roles, Tom has successfully taken his client’s vision and consistently delivered on time and on budget projects by developing strategies specifically tailored to the unique demands of each project.
A skilled communicator with excellent leadership and managerial experience, coupled with outstanding development and operational skills, Tom has given owners and investors a high degree of confidence that their projects will be built with the highest sense of accountability and integrity possible.
Originally trained by by Westin Hotels & Resorts, his passion for the hospitality industry began at various property level assignments prior to being promoted to the Corporate Director of Employee and labor Relations position.
Tom holds a BS in Business Administration from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Francine Slosser
Marketing Consultant – Urbane Marketing Corporation
Ms. Slosser was born and raised on the Island of Kauai, Hawaii. She was trained by Hyatt Hotels and The Ritz Carlton Company. Her first assignments included stints at the Grand Hyatt Wailea and Hyatt Regency Maui. She honed her marketing skills at world class hotels and resorts which included Royal Palms Resort & Spa (a top 50 resort in the world) located in Scottsdale Arizona. Other assignments included The Ritz Carlton in Palm Springs, California, The Hyatt Beaver Creek in Vail, Colorado, and the repositioning of L’Auberge Del Mar located in the pristine coastal town of Del Mar, California.
Her passion in marketing is supported by the relentless pursuit of creative thinking, programming, and the implementation of market positioning of 5-star assets. Francine believes in the excellence of guest service and the fundamental promise of quality touch points that consumers can experience in her hotels.
Francine was awarded “Marketer of The Year” by Destination Hotels & Resorts, a company that had over 96 high-end boutique style hotels & resorts in their portfolio. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Business with an emphasis on Hospitality Management from the University of Hawaii, Manoa.
Andre Kikoski
Executive Vice President, Design
Andre Kikoski has completed more than 100 projects and has proudly worked with such renowned entities as The Guggenheim Museum, Howard Hughes, The Kohler Companies, Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Company, The Related Companies at Hudson Yards, and DHA Capital.
He is the recipient of 30 design awards and has been featured in 700 publications across 27 countries including Architectural Digest, Fast Company, Interior Design, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He was recently named one of the “Top 20 Biggest Power Planners in New York City Real Estate”, and a “Top 40 Firm in Residential Design”.
Andre received his Master’s Degree in Architecture at Harvard University where he earned Distinctions for Innovation & Design and Technology. He trained in the offices of I.M. Pei, Richard Meier, and Peter Eiseman. Mr. Kikoski is a frequent lecturer and has spoken at Harvard University, Palm Springs Modernism Week, the New York Times Architectural Digest Home Show, New York University, Savannah College of Art and Design, and the Parsons School of Design and Pratt Institute.
He is passionate about clean, simplistic designs that inspire the senses where people can feel comfortable and enjoy spaces that touch the soul.
Sebastian
Chief Morale Officer
Sebastian began his career with Torrey Pines Hotel Group as a young 12Lb intern from Houston, Texas. As a full bred English Labrador, he was recruited because of his excellent attitude, attention to detail, and ability to comfort others during stressful times around the office. He has since grown in stature (now 92Lbs) and makes it a point to visit every member of our team during the day and ensure that they remain positive about their work, and is hopeful that during the day, his teammates take him for walks and share various coffee breaks and treats.
Over the last 14-months, Sebastian’s skills have matured with minimal required supervision. His responsibilities as Chief Moral Officer require him to work closely with our entire team. He regularly barks out directions when meetings seem to get off course. His intuition and nose for sniffing out unique opportunities to advance camaraderie and strategies around the office have become legendary. He is paid commensurate with other executives in the office but does not have a clothing allowance or a car. He always seems to find a ride home or participate in company events after hours and is often found leading the charge to find the next adventure the day has to offer.
In the next 12-months, Sebastian’s career goals will require him to complete an advanced course in sitting patiently, retrieving, and properly greeting guests, clients, patrons, investors and other important stakeholders that Torrey Pines Hotel Group does business with. 50% of his goals are dedicated to learning the nuances of not jumping up on constituents. We have found him to be very bright and a quick study and wish him well as he completes his second year of employment and earns his advanced degree in Morale Operations.
Sebastian has been an excellent addition to our firm and we look forward to his continued contributions to the organization. Clearly, he has a bright future.
Our Advisory Group
Larry Dustin
Senior Advisor
Larry Dustin’s career expands over 40+ years in the hospitality and travel industry. He has had an array of senior leadership and management positions. He is a member of the Hospitality Advisory Boards for AboveProperty, LLC, Eleven Wireless Inc, and Sol Katmandu Park & Resorts. Mr. Dustin’s experience includes strategic planning, hotel development, project management, marketing, sales, operations, asset management and travel related technologies. His career began at Westin Hotels & Resorts where he held positions in Honolulu, Seattle, Kansas City, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Tulsa. His last assignment with Westin was that of a development officer responsible for new projects in Ottawa, Chicago, New Orleans, and Denver.
Larry served as President of two hotel management companies one of which was AIRCOA Hospitality Services which had 160 hotels. Larry went on to lead Universal Studios as Senior Vice President of Lodging. He further went on to serve as President of ExxonMobil Travel Guide and subsequently as an independent Board Member for CNL Hotels & Resorts – a $6.6b REIT.
Larry holds a bachelors of business from Michigan State University; School of Hotel and Restaurant Management.