Jim Hansen
Jim Hansen serves as Strategy Advisor to CEO of Shashi Group.
A 34-year veteran in the hospitality industry, Jim's experience spans virtually all disciplines of the hotel industry, including all phases of development, hotel operations, marketing, sales, IT, engineering, general counsel, revenue management, finance, and accounting. Jim brings decades of experience overseeing all phases of hotel development and construction – site selection, negotiations, feasibility, permitting, design, project management, repositionings, historical renovations, and the specification, purchasing, and installation of furniture, fixtures, and equipment. Jim has been involved in the new construction of more than 75 hotels and restaurants, as well as the repositioning and renovation of another 30 hotels, restaurants, and conference centers across multiple states. During one particular expansion phase, Jim oversaw the new construction development of 16 hotels within a three-year period; five of these projects were Hilton Garden Inn Hotels, which were new prototypes for the Hilton brand at the time.
Prior to joining Shashi Group, Jim was a founding partner of Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants in Marin County, California, as an independent developer and operator. He co-led the development of three distinct Larkspur brands: the upscale all-suite Larkspur Landing – a Home Suite Hotel brand, the three-star Larkspur Hotels limited service brand, and the four- and five-star full-service Larkspur Collection brand. At the height of his time with Larkspur, Jim owned and operated 23 hotels and nine restaurants, all of which were concentrated in the San Francisco Bay Area. Among the many highlights and accomplishments of his career, Larkspur Hotels & Restaurants received numerous accolades during his tenure, including an overall portfolio Trip Advisor rating of 4.5 out of 5, a coveted Top 5 placement by Market Metrix Guest Satisfaction Rankings, and a perennial finalist in the Best Places to Work in the Bay Area. Under his leadership, the company’s financial performance excelled with RevPAR Penetration Indexes exceeding 100 for the portfolio as a whole and some individual markets regularly exceeding 150.
Earlier in his career, Jim was instrumental in the expansion of the Days Inn brand into the western United States region, an ambitious but vital goal of the hotel’s founder and independent owner & operator at the time, Cecil B. Day.
Jim is a licensed Civil Engineer in the State of California. He earned his MS from Stanford University and a BS in Engineering from California State University at Sacramento. He is a frequent speaker and contributor at hotel forums and conferences for industry leaders.
