OUR TEAM
RICHARD
LOU
Chief Executive Officer
JUSTIN
SCARPA
Chief Operating Officer
LIZ
MILLER
Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Initiatives
AMANDA
FRANK
Vice President of Sales
PUNIT
SHETH
Head of Business Development
DANIEL
LOU
Vice President of Construction & Development
ALEXANDRA
STARR
Senior Director of Finance
RICHARD
LEE
Director of Growth
ROSANA
MARTINEZ
Director of Human Resources and Risk Management
CIELO
MILLAN
Regional Director Of Operations
BENJAMIN
DE LA ROSA
Director of Accounting
KARREN
ALCANTARA
Operations Coordinator
BIANCA
GRIJALVA
Corporate Human Resource Generalist
RICHARD LOU
Chief Executive Officer
Richard is the founder and CEO of Palette Hotels, directing the company’s development, operations, and investments through it’s senior leadership team. Prior to the acquisition of Palette Hotels, Richard led the LCRE Group, his family business that oversaw the development, investment, and asset management of seven hotels with 1,100 keys in four states. He has built four ground-up developments in New York City and has also led the residential property management and construction/procurement arms of LCRE Group.
As a trusted consultant for the hospitality and real estate industry, he has worked extensively with private equity groups, start ups, and high net worth individuals to create business plans and go-to-market strategies. Prior experience includes Kasa Living, Deloitte Consulting, Tishman Hotel & Realty, and Starwood Hotels. He is a graduate of the Hotel School at Cornell University and has an MBA from Harvard Business School. In his free time, Richard enjoys spending time with his daughter and traveling to new destinations with his family.
JUSTIN SCARPA
Chief Operating Officer
Previously, Justin served as the Vice President of LCRE Group, maintaining a similar corporate profile. Prior to that, Justin had a 16-year tenure with Marriott International in a variety of senior management roles.
Justin is native to New York, and currently resides in New Jersey. In his free time, Justin and his wife love to travel the world with their three energetic children!
LIZ MILLER
Chief of Staff and Director of Strategic Initiatives
ASHISH KHULLAR
Vice President of Revenue Strategy
PUNIT SHETH
Head of Business Development
DANIEL LOU
Vice President of Construction & Development
Daniel oversees the company’s capital projects and developments. He leads a team of project managers that helps evaluate and execute capital plans, PIPs, renovations, and new developments. He also provides invaluable insight to ongoing repair and maintenance programs, helping to execute on each asset’s short and long term investment goals. Daniel has over 16 years of property management experience. Prior experiences includes Beacon Hospitality Partners, Moody’s Analytics, and Trinity Hotel Investors. He is a graduate of New York University.
ALEXANDRA STARR
Senior Director of Finance
Alexandra lives in Pittsburgh and enjoys spending quality time with her teenage daughters (i.e., binge watching shows) and travelling with her husband around the country playing poker tournaments.
ROSANA MARTINEZ
Director of Human Resources and Risk Management
In her prior role, she was a Portfolio General Manager for Kasa, a tech-enabled hospitality company, where she oversaw the operations and asset management of a portfolio of properties across 10 states. Before that, she managed several co-living properties as the Director of Community at Starcity.
Rosana has a degree in Communications from California State University, Long Beach and is currently studying at USC Gould School of Law for a Master of Studies in Law.
In her free time she enjoys exploring her native Los Angeles and spending time with her family and friends.
LUCY HERREN
Corporate Regional Director of Salesnt
CIELO MILLAN
Regional Director Of Operations
Cielo joined the Palette Hotels corporate team as Task Force Manager and moved up to Regional Director of Operations. Her role is to develop quick and accurate assessments for the overall ‘health’ of an assigned hotel & developing strategies that are focused on optimizing operations. These include hiring, on-boarding General Managers, training, budgeting, guest satisfaction, associate satisfaction and owner satisfaction, revenue management, and timely reporting. She has studied Business Management and International Business in Cali, Colombia at the San Buenaventura University. Over the last seven years she has worked with Marriott & Hilton brands, looking over Full service, Extended Stay, Select service hotels.
BENJAMIN DE LA ROSA
Director of Accounting
With 8 years of experience in the hospitality industry & having worked in various roles for brands like IHG, Wyndham, Starwood, Marriott & Hilton, Benjamin has extensive knowledge of accounting procedures. At Palette Hotels Developments, Benjamin is responsible for the day to day and month end profit and loss statement activities of several hotels within the portfolio, as well as assisting the team during property transitions. He works closely with the properties to assure all their accounting needs are handled in a timely manner. His expertise lies in Budgets/Forecasting, Property Transitions, Cash Management, SOP compliance, Internal Audits and Tax Audits. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics with an Actuarial Science Concentration from the University of Texas El Paso. Prior to joining Palette Hotels Developments, he was at HMC for five years as a Staff Accountant and Property Controller. In his free time, he likes to go shopping and play tennis.
KARREN ALCANTARA
Operations Coordinator
Karren’s genuine hospitality shines through in every interaction with owners, leaders, guests, and team members. Her unwavering commitment to exceptional service creates a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for all guests. Her contagious laughter never fails to put a smile on people’s faces.
Karren believes every new day brings boundless opportunities to learn, grow, and make meaningful connections.
BIANCA GRIJALVA
Corporate Human Resource Generalist
RICHARD LEE
Director of Growth
Having traversed the sides of both ownership and brand, he has been equipped with invaluable insights into the intricacies of asset management and the priorities that weigh heavily on the minds of hotel owners. He understands first hand the challenges and opportunities that come with entrusting one’s assets to management companies and is deeply committed to leveraging this perspective to drive impactful outcomes for our clients.
Richard is a native son of Southern California and is based in Los Angeles, but proudly calls himself a citizen of the world, having lived and worked in Singapore, London, Seoul, New York and San Francisco. He received his Master’s from the Nolan School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University and Bachelor’s from the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley.