LuxUrban Hotels Inc. (Nasdaq: LUXH) today announced the appointment of Elan Blutinger as an independent member of the Company’s Board of Directors. Mr. Blutinger also will serve on the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.

A serial entrepreneur and investor, Mr. Blutinger is Managing Director of Alpine Consolidated, LLC, a merchant bank he co-founded in 1996. Through Alpine, he has founded, built, and led initial public offerings for multiple public technology and travel companies in the United States and United Kingdom. His experience includes:

  • Lead Director, and Chairman of each of the Corporate Governance Committee and Compensation Committee for Great Wolf Resorts, a family entertainment resorts company, which was acquired by Apollo Global Management in 2012;
  • Founder and a Director of ResortQuest International, a provider of full-service vacation rentals in the US, which was acquired by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in 2010;
  • Director and Chairman of the Compensation Committee for Hotels.com, and Chairman of the Special Committee of the Board in connection with the sale of that company to IAC/InteractiveCorp. in 2003; and
  • Co-Founder and Lead Director of Travel Services International, which he founded, led to a successful initial public offering, and later sold to Airtours PLC in 2000.

Mr. Blutinger also served as Lead Director, Member of the Board, and Chairman of the Remuneration Committee for Online Travel Corporation PLC; Chairman of the Board and CEO of Espresoh Tech, an EU-based, software product development company, from April 2019 until the sale of the company in December 2021; and Founder and Chairman of the Board of AudioNow Holdings, a global mobile distribution platform for in-language media, from 2010 until its acquisition in 2018.

Mr. Blutinger earned a BA in International Relations from the American University, a MA in Political Economy from the University of California at Berkeley, and a Juris Doctor from the American University’s Washington College of Law. He is a member of the Advisory Board of American University’s Washington College of Law and a member of the East Carolina University Advisory Board for the Study of Sustainable Tourism at ECU's School of Business.

“Elan has helped to define the industry landscape by marrying technology with travel to elevate and expand the experience for people around the world,” said Brian Ferdinand, Chairman of the Board and Co-CEO of the Company. “We are fortunate to have access to his insights, counsel, and acumen and believe that he will be an invaluable addition to the Board as we continue to expand our industry presence.”

Mr. Ferdinand continued, “In 2023 we partnered with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, which has delivered vital financial support along with best-in-class services in the areas of marketing, distribution, sales, sourcing, and technology. As we continue to scale the business, Elan’s appointment is the next, but likely not last, logical step in our ongoing evolution and a reflection of our commitment to strengthening industry representation across the enterprise and maturing as an organization.”

Mr. Blutinger succeeds Jimmie Chatmon, a founding executive of LuxUrban who also had served as a director of the Company since November 2021. Mr. Chatmon voluntarily resigned his board position to accommodate the appointment of Mr. Blutinger; as such, the Company’s board will remain at seven members, five of whom are independent.

“I am proud that our Company’s growth and maturation has allowed us to attract an executive of Elan’s caliber to the board,” said Mr. Chatmon. “His appointment adds industry depth and improves our governance profile. It has been an honor to serve with such a purpose-driven group of individuals as a member of LuxUrban’s board, and I look forward to our continuing collaboration as a member of the executive team.”