Efrem Harkham

Efrem Harkham is an American hotelier and philanthropist from Beverly Hills, California.

Efrem Harkham
Born
Israel
NationalityAmerican
OccupationEntrepreneur
Children3
RelativesUri Harkham
WebsiteLuxeHotels.com

Harkham is the Founder and CEO of LeHotels.com, a company representing 200 hotels globally, and LuxeHotels, an entity consisting of three luxury hotels based in Beverly Hills, California.

Early life

Efrem Harkham was born in an Orthodox Jewish family in Israel.[1][2][3] His maternal ancestors are keepers of Ezra's Tomb in Iraq.[4] However, he grew up in Australia.[1][3][5] He studied Law at university.[6] He has a brother, Uri Harkham, the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Harkham Industries, a women's clothing company, Chairman Emeritus of Harkham Properties, and a Director of Public Storage.[7][8]

Career

Harkham started his career in the fashion industry.[2] He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Harkham Industries, representing the Jonathan Martin and Hype brands.[2]

Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

He moved to Los Angeles in 1978.[2] Five years later, in 1983, he purchased the Bel-Air Summit Hotel, now known as the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel, located in Bel Air.[1][3][9] A decade later, in 1993, he purchased the Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel, located on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.[1][4] He subsequently added a third hotel to his portfolio, known as the Luxe City Center Hotel, located in Downtown Los Angeles.[2] The three hotels comprise the Luxe Hotels brand.[1]

He founded Luxe Worldwide Hotels in 1998.[10] He serves as its President and Chief Executive Officer.[10] The company provides marketing, sales and reservation services to 200 hotels globally, with a workforce of 315 employees.[1]

He serves on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Television Network.[3]

Philanthropy

In 1991, with his brother Uri, he donated $1 million to the Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy.[3] With his ex-wife, he also donated to the 2008 renovation of the Shalhevet High School, a co-education Orthodox Jewish school in Los Angeles.[11] Additionally, he has donated to the Orthodox Union and Chabad.[3]

He organizes the annual Apple Ball for the Beverly Hills Education Foundation.[6]

Personal life

He is a naturalized American citizen.[5] He was married to Kendra Harkham; they divorced in 2011.[12] He resides in Beverly Hills, California.[6]

References
  1. Hugo Martin, Efrem Harkham oversees a world of hotels, The Los Angeles Times, July 10, 2011
  2. Jacqueline Maddison, Beverly Hills Spotlight: Efrem Harkham, Beverly Hills Magazine, December 3, 2013
  3. Naomi Pfefferman, Labor Pains, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, February 19, 1998
  4. Laura Coleman, Luxe Celebrates 30-Year Anniversary; A Real Estate Venture That Went Global, The Beverly Hills Courier
  5. Tamara Audi,In Los Angeles, Some Voters Cast Ballots in Luxury , The Wall Street Journal, November 4, 2014
  6. Keith Loria, Efrem Harkham: The Luxe Factor Archived 2014-12-05 at the Wayback Machine, C-Suite Quarterly, Q4 2013
  7. Forbes: Uri Harkham
  8. Bloomberg BusinessWeek: Uri Harkham
  9. Luxe Hotels: History
  10. Bloomberg BusinessWeek
  11. David Suissa, A school with attitude, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, August 27, 2008
  12. Mark David, Mary McDonald Sunburst Madness in Beverly Hills, Variety, June 8, 2011
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