Sonesta International Hotels Corporation is an American hotel company based in Newton, Massachusetts.[1] Founded in 1937, the company operates in eight countries and has over 1,200 properties as of 2023.[2]
History
In 1937, real estate mogul A.M. "Sonny" Sonnabend pooled his resources with six other investors to purchase the Preston Beach Hotel in Swampscott, Massachusetts. Sonnabend personally managed the hotel and began focusing on the hospitality industry.[3] Over the following years, Sonnabend invested in other hotel properties, which he managed through Sonnabend Operated Hotels in 1944.
He purchased a series of properties in Florida, including the Palm Beach Biltmore and the Palm Beach Country Club, from oil magnate Henry Latham Doherty in 1944. Around the same time, he also purchased a series of hotels in Cleveland, Ohio, from Robert R. Young, including the Terminal Tower and Hotel Cleveland