Lark Hotels founder Robert Blood currently wears many hats. In addition to serving as president of the boutique hotel brand and management company he founded in 2012, he also serves as managing director of design firm Elder & Ash and partner at investment and development affiliate Lark Capital. In explaining his unlikely journey from English major to hotelier, Blood said he is a living proof of the notion that the most important quality for success in the hospitality industry is “the right mindset.” The company is now growing and thriving, in fact, Blood said it has nearly doubled in size since 2020, when he was able to convince longtime friend and colleague Peter Twachtman to take over day-to-day operations as CEO and focus on what he does best and enjoys most: “creative vision, strategic growth and elevating the brand.”
Early Years
Brad discovered his affinity for hospitality during his time as a student at Bates College, where he was part of the Student Activities Committee creating entertainment experiences, and as a ski instructor at Sugarloaf, where he dreamed of running a popular bar and inn. He added that the untimely death of his father helped shape his outlook on life and may have inspired him to pursue a career in hospitality. “My parents talked about retiring at 55 and opening a bed and breakfast,” Brad said.
But it wasn't until Brad and his then-girlfriend, and future first wife, Leigh, began working as landlady at Susan and Dale Hamilton's Inn on Nantucket that he really got a taste of what it took to run such a business, and more importantly, how much fun it could be. “We had absolutely no experience, and they just handed us the keys and let us run the place. With Dale and Susan's support, friendship and mentorship, we learned the business inside and out,” Brad said. That one year of experience determined how he wanted to live and work. “From the moment I stepped foot on Nantucket and became landlady at the Sherburne Inn, I decided I was going to live my life doing what I truly loved, a lifestyle, not just a job.”
His own hotel
As Brad considered his options for his own hotel, he was drawn to what he called the boutique sector, based on his experience with the Sherburne Inn. “Guests primarily loved the immersive environment and the experience they got there.” But as he soon learned, investing in a boutique hotel was an entirely different matter. “Fortunately, I didn’t go to Cornell Hotel School, so I didn’t know that there was a consensus that it was impossible to make a hotel with fewer than 100 rooms profitable.”
Luckily, his mother read the business plan he'd prepared with the help of Dale Hamilton, a Harvard Business School grad who'd proven with the Sherburne Inn that even a small, well-located property could be made financially viable, and, despite the well-meaning advice of his friends, she put down the down payment in advance. With a $350,000 loan from his mother (a 10-year term at 6% interest), an SBA loan, and a regular bank loan, he was able to buy his first property, a nine-room inn in Kennebunkport, Maine, for $1.725 million in 2004.
Brad said this first property “was like a laboratory for us. Lee and I became experts in cost control and learned how to run a very disciplined business.” They also learned the value of repositioning and investing in design. “People really liked the independent spirit of our properties with their local feel. We learned that by making smart renovations and design choices, we could really grow our top-line revenue.”
Through trial, error and hard work, they developed a philosophy that worked for them: “I wanted to improve the experience of these small, historic establishments for the more modern traveler, replacing doilies and lace with modern conveniences and comforts that paid homage to New England charm and history.”
Their gamble paid off: Four years after opening Captain Fairfield Inn, they were able to do a cash-out refinance, allowing them to pay their mother back in half the time.
Between refinancing that property and founding Lark Hotels in 2012, he did other ventures, including The Veranda House and Chapman House on Nantucket Island, which he purchased with the Hamiltons, and The Atwater in Newport, Rhode Island, which he purchased with his mother and sister. He also provided consulting services to hotels and resorts from 2007 to 2012.
From Ownership to Partnership
A lot has changed since Brad founded Lark Hotels. Today, Brad describes it as a “management company and brand” and doesn't own the hotels in its portfolio. But as president, Brad owns 22 hotels with investors through Lark Capital, Lark's affiliated investment and development arm that was formed in 2022. Since Brad and his second wife, Meghan Kennedy, founded Elder & Ash in 2017, there's also a full-service design studio that's available to anyone.
To date, Lark's portfolio of properties has grown to 53 hotels. In addition to Lark Hotels, it also includes “sister brands” Bluebird by Lark, AWOL and Blind Tiger guesthouses, which were created in response to demand for specialised brands in other segments. Additionally, Lark Independent offers other independent properties the benefit of its expanded infrastructure, including hands-on operations, technology, design, HR and revenue support.
The right mindset
Speaking to LODGING at one of his favourite “unique places”, Block Island Beach House in New Shoreham, Rhode Island, Brad said that working in the boutique sector had allowed him to “fulfill his dreams” in many ways. “I didn't grow up loving hotels or restaurants, but I did have an innate desire to create experiences. I also loved architecture and the idea of being the steward of historic buildings that play an important role in the community.” Brad also said he had the “right mindset”. “You have to work hard, try new things and love what you do. We do jobs that pretty much anyone could do – fluffing pillows, tasting drinks or tidying corners of a hospital. What makes us great is how we make people feel.”
What he feels most is gratitude: “The great thing about my life is that I get to work with my two best friends and this entire team and bring amazing experiences to people.”
Mentors matter: Give recognition
Unlike many people born into the industry, Lark Hotels founder Robert Blood considers himself lucky to have been involved in the hospitality industry by chance, and he makes sure to mention the people who helped him realise dreams he never knew he had.
Of course, it starts at home: his parents. He calls his mother, who ignored the advice of friends that led him away from his first real estate investment, “my biggest supporter, my biggest believer. She shaped my outlook on life. She's a big proponent of the idea of working with people.” He also acknowledged the influence of his father, who passed away long before his son became a successful hotelier: “My father was a big advocate of the idea that life is a journey that should be celebrated.”
He emphasized that the most direct influence on his career was Nantucket Inn owners Dale and Susan Hamilton: “I'm really grateful to Dale and Susan for starting by hiring me and empowering me to do what I do today. They also modeled for me what it took to be successful, helped me with my business plan, and proved to me that even a small property could be profitable. They bought the Sherburne (Inn) for $600,000 and, unlike the previous owners, sold it for $2.4 million by following sound, simple, and practical business principles. I learned so much from them.”
