Steven Kamali

Chances are, Steven M. Kamali has had a profound impact on your social life. You have dined in restaurants, stayed in hotels, mingled at cocktail bars and danced the night away in clubs–all which carry his stamp of approval. A lifelong entrepreneur, Kamali‘s persistence has made him the go-to man for anyone trying to gain entry into the hospitality business. Kamali got his start in real estate at the age of 21, and it wasn’t long before he opened his own restaurant brokerage firm with just a cell phone, a Zagat Survey and a ton of industry know-how. Kamali quickly turned New York’s Meatpacking District into the sexiest neighborhood in town. With celebrity chefs and nightclub impresarios on his speed dial, Kamali became the “behind-the-scenes deal-maker,” using his wealth of industry relationships to negotiate deals between hotel owners and top restaurateurs such as Tom Colicchio, Jeffrey Chodorow, Marcus Samuelsson and Ken Friedman. The demand for Kamali’s innovative, strategic counsel allowed him to develop a full-service consulting department, Steven Kamali Hospitality. Aside from being a partner in Montauk’s luxury beach resort, Surf Lodge, Kamali offers his advisory services to some of the most high-profile hotel companies in the world like The Ritz-Carlton, Hilton Worldwide and Trump Hotel Organization, reinvigorating the Food-and-Beverage programs of elite hotels around the world. In 2006, Kamali was named in Crain’s New York Business’ prestigious “40 Under 40” list; is regularly quoted as a trend expert in publications including The New York Times, Forbes and Hotels Magazine; and has been labeled a “hospitality wunderkind” with a “golden touch.”