Given their 8-year age difference, hospitality executives Brad and Brent LeBlanc didn’t spend much time together as children. What they do share is the work ethic instilled by their father, a labor relations executive for an oil company in Louisiana, who believed weekends were for working and playing, not sleeping. Although their father’s 5 a.m. wake-up calls may have been unwelcome at the time, his focus on learning, building relationships, and being accountable stuck. As younger brother Brent, who is EVP, business development, Peachtree Group, told LODGING, “I’ve made a career of being uncomfortable, learning new things,” while his older brother Brad, chief development officer, BWH Hotels, rejoined, “There’s not a day that I don’t show up on time with my shoes polished and ready to conduct business, ready to win.”

Getting into the Hospitality Business

It was Brad who got into hospitality first, taking a job during college as a night auditor, making $5 an hour, at the Hotel Bentley, a classic boutique hotel in Alexandria, Louisiana. “There, I fell in love with everything about hotels—building rapport with guests, late nights, and helping to manage daily operations; I was hooked,” he said.

After completing his degree in 1988, Brad moved to Atlanta, where he was hired (for the first time) by Mike Leven, then CEO of Days Inn of America. “My job involved traveling the country opening Days Inns. There, I began to learn about the power of relationships with owners and the joy of helping them achieve their dreams of ownership,” he said. Soon, he also came to believe he was better suited to the new development side of the business. So, a year later, he joined the Choice Hotels International development team for the first of his two stints with that hotel company. He remained there until 1995, when he was recruited by Leven, who was then CEO of U.S. Franchise Systems, to become VP franchise sales and development to launch Microtel Inn & Suites.

Brad recalled that period as a time when the hospitality industry was blossoming and becoming a real asset category. “It was moving from being a mom-and-pop industry to an institutional asset class,” he said. However, he realized that new growth called for new sales talent.

As luck would have it, that same year, 1995, little brother Brent entered the job market with a degree in business and a passion for people, but no experience in hospitality. Brad promptly hired him in a junior sales associate role. “This,” recalled Brent, “meant knocking on doors of hotel owners from Cleveland to South Beach to see if they would want to build a Microtel Inn Suites. I cold-called so many hotels, the hinges on my car door were falling off.”

With the opportunity provided by his brother, Brent learned the basics of the business, including how to differentiate the brands, talk to owners and assets, and take rejection. “The time we spent in those first years was invaluable,” he recalled.

Different Paths

As it happened, after their careers intersected in franchising sales and development at U.S. Franchise Systems, the brothers’ paths diverged within hospitality. 

Brad has spent his entire career—including a total of 16 years at Choice—on the brand development side of the industry, although the “products” varied. For example, just prior to assuming his current position as chief development officer, North America, at BWH Hotels in 2019, he launched Serendipity Labs, a hospitality-focused coworking brand, and in his second round at Choice, he successfully launched their upscale hotel division with the Cambria Suites brand.

As Brad described it, “My career has been spent doing something that inspires me—casting a new vision, mainly by launching new hospitality brands, many of which exist across our national landscape today. I’m still doing that at BWH with GLō, Aiden, and 
@HOME by Best Western.”

Brent breaks his career, so far, into four phases, starting with being hired by his brother to work at U.S. Franchise Systems, where he learned to sell, then branching off on his own to help first La Quinta and then Starwood launch and strengthen their franchise programs. Ultimately, he went to Peachtree to learn the investment side of the business, including acquisitions, development, lending, and raising capital. He is currently the EVP of business development, responsible for strategic growth within the private equity firm. 

Mentor Mentions

The brothers gave credit to those who taught and encouraged them, including their father and each other.

Brad sought to emulate the industry “superstars” he encountered. At Choice, they included then-chairman Bob Hazard and Al Calhoun, now vice chairman at CBRE, whom he called “pivotal” to his career development. There was also Leven, who had hired him twice—and allowed him to hire his brother at U.S. Franchise Systems.

As for Brent, in the development position that he said “kickstarted” his career, he learned from “industry icons” including Leven, Mike Muir, and Tim Muir. He also received support and lessons from his brother: “Brad would say, ‘Do what you say you are going to do 100 percent of the time.’ He also taught me how to have tough conversations with clients and the importance of that in building solid relationships.”

At La Quinta, Brent learned how to create and launch a franchise program under the tutelage of Raj Trivedi and Alan Tallis, and at Starwood, he was mentored by then-Chief Development Officer Rip Gellein. After shifting to the investment side of the business at Peachtree, he credited Greg Friedman and Jatin Desai with “rounding out my career.”

Fraternal Relationship 

Brent spoke admiringly of his older brother, who brought him into the hospitality business: “Brad’s highly regarded in the hotel business and has been a great mentor throughout my career.”

The admiration is mutual. Brad made clear that hiring his brother back in 1995 was a good business decision. “I recognized his drive and personality then, and I’m proud of all he’s accomplished in this industry we both love.”

During their overlapping period at U.S. Franchise Systems, the brothers grew close and have remained so since their paths diverged. “At times we have been competitive, but more often we are just trying to help each other out, share business, and assist in each other’s success,” said Brad. 

Have Faith

Brad and Brent LeBlanc have enjoyed their respective careers in hospitality but admit that it isn’t for everyone. As Brad put it, “There have been pivotal moments in hospitality that refine your focus—the 2001 recession, the 2008 financial crisis, and a ‘black swan event,’ the pandemic—and many people left; they weren’t willing to stay in the grind and build their organizations and teams.” Yet their comments make clear that they consider the gain worth the pain.

“Whether you’re on the operations or investment side, this is a great industry with a lot of great people, and a lot of opportunity. But it’s a cyclical business; things will always change, and you need to be able to adapt to whatever is thrown at you without losing focus,” said Brad, adding, “But we’ll get through it, as we have in the past. We just have to be patient.”

As for Brent, it all comes down to the people that work in the industry. “We love them. They come from all over this country and the world, and do different jobs. I couldn’t think of a better industry to be in,” he said. 

Brad is keenly aware of the changes that have occurred in the industry since his own entry nearly 40 years ago and is proud of the part he and his brother have played. “My biggest joy has been watching the landscape of America change. I can drive down the interstate today going from city to city across North America, and I can say, ‘I touched that, Brent touched that. We competed for that. Brent and I tackled that together.’”


Brotherly Advice: Career Best Practices From the LeBlancs’ Collective Experience

The LeBlancs consider the lessons of their father part of the DNA they share and were happy to pass along advice—including a tip from him—for getting ahead.

  • Get up an hour before everyone else —Their Father
  • Get to know more people, fine-tune your skills, and understand every nuance about this business —Brad to his son, Victor, who works for Brent at Peachtree 
  • Relationships are the most important aspect of both your business and personal life —Brent
  • Love what you do. If you’re passionate about the business, you will want to put in the hard work because you will be fulfilled by it —Brad
  • Get comfortable with being uncomfortable; seek challenges —Brent
  • Focus on the process, not the results —Brent
  • Be a student; study the industry every day because it changes constantly —Mike Leven via Brad
  • When the going gets tough, stick with the grind; don’t panic but be able to pivot —Brent