Joint Venture Strengthens Lark Hotels’ Position as Leading Boutique Brand and Management Company for Hotels Under 150 Keys

Premier lifestyle brand and hospitality management company, Lark Hotels, announces today the formation of a joint venture with contextual hotel brand and operator, Life House. This joint venture will operate under Lark Hospitality LLC, doing business as Lark, encompassing all Lark Hotels and Life House-branded hotels, 33 restaurants and bars, and the groups’ combined portfolio of nearly 100 independent spirited properties, with locations throughout the continental United States, Hawaii, and Mexico. As part of the transaction, among the Life House stakeholders, both Inovia Capital and Thayer Investment Partners will continue to support this joint venture.

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Blind Tiger, a Lark Hotels property in Burlington, Vermont (image by Matt Kisiday)

Combining their assets and expertise to form Lark Hospitality, industry trailblazers Rob Blood (Founder, Lark Hotels), Peter Twachtman (CEO, Lark Hotels), and Marc Ghobriel (CEO, Life House) join forces with Blood as Chairman, Twachtman as CEO, and Ghobriel leading the Life House transition team.

In addition to doubling Lark's footprint, the combined entity grows the company’s centralized team by bringing key positions over from Life House, allowing for continued best-in-class solutions for customized hotel management, day-to-day operations, hiring, technology, and marketing services to maximize owner cash flow. The new entity will have nearly $1 billion in assets under management, and represent accommodations in 27 states, more than 3,000 total keys, nearly 1,500 employees in peak season, and total annual revenue of more than $150 million under management.

“There is no company that has made everyone at Lark Hotels sharpen their pencils more than Life House,” said Rob Blood, founder of Lark Hotels. “Over the last five years, they have made us think deeply about who we are as a company, what our value proposition is for our stakeholders, and who we want to be going forward. As we come together, we look forward to incorporating the best practices of both of our companies to deliver exceptional experiences for our guests, investors, hotel owners and teams.”

"The complementary strengths of Life House and Lark, both geographically and operationally, create a leader in the independent and boutique hotel management market," said Marc Ghobriel, CEO of Life House. "We're eager to continue focusing on delivering a great experience, to guests at the properties we manage, as well as to their owners, and we plan on investing in building a strong portfolio of brands across North America."

As one of the few remaining truly independent hospitality companies with a family of brands, including Lark Hotels, Bluebird by Lark, Blind Tiger, AWOL, and Lark Independent, Lark will focus on further developing its individual brands, as well as the Life House brand, by partnering with aspiring and existing hotel owners, family offices, private equity firms, and real estate developers. The company plans to continue to leverage its robust loyalty program to deliver exceptional experiences for guests and valuable direct revenue for hotel owners. Lark’s unique combination of best-in-class management, supported by a nimble tech stack and a choice of meaningful brands that deliver both the benefit of flexibility and the assurance of connection, gives real estate developers and hotel owners many paths to success with Lark.

For more information or photography, please contact Mary DiLeo at mary@allheartpr.com or 978-998-0240.

About Lark Hotels:

Launched by Rob Blood in 2012, Lark Hotels operates lifestyle properties in high-profile destinations, embracing their communities in playful, unexpected ways. Each Lark Hotel invites guests to experience intimate getaways in the heart of an iconic destination, feel the pull of nostalgia, and find attentive service when they want it or privacy when they don’t. In 2020, Lark Hotels launched its third-party management division, focused on the management and marketing of independent hotels throughout the United States. In 2021, Lark Hotels introduced Bluebird by Lark, a sister collection of boutique roadside lodges, reimagined for the great American road trip. In 2024, seven Lark Hotels properties were awarded prestigious Michelin Keys from Michelin Guide, a coveted honor that recognizes the country’s most outstanding hotels. Most recently, Lark Hotels opened AWOL Stowe, the third iteration of its emerging AWOL brand in the heart of Stowe, Vermont, complete with an outdoor Nordic spa deck and free-standing A-frame cabins. In 2025, Lark Hotels will debut several new and noteworthy properties in sought-after destinations, including their first in a major metropolitan city. For more information about Lark Hotels and Bluebird by Lark, visit larkhotels.com and bluebirdhotels.com.

Lark Hotels is always seeking growth opportunities through both third party management agreements and joint venture opportunities. To learn more, visit larkhospitality.com. To discuss Lark’s acquisition and management opportunities, please reach out to growth@larkhotels.com.

About Life House:

Led by CEO Marc Ghobriel, Life House is a vertically integrated hotel management and technology company focused on serving small and medium independent hotels with institutional-quality service. Life House uses advanced software and operating systems to increase profitability and reliability for independent hotels. The company was founded in 2017 by real estate, hospitality, and technology veterans and is backed by world-renowned private equity and venture investors. In 2023, Lodging Magazine recognized Life House as one of the top management companies for independent hoteliers to know.

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