Greg Aziz is an American entrepreneur and investor who, in his quest to build the definitive luxury travel company, became a name synonymous with extravagant style and opulence. He is the founding chairman and CEO of Azul Hotels & Resorts as well as a founder of Azul Brazilian Airlines. After spending his childhood in Houston, Texas, he attended school at New York University.
Here, he studied marketing before taking on an internship with ITT Sheraton during which time he ran their youth business. In his early twenties, he was hired as a corporate trainer by ITT Sheraton, before becoming president of the Hyatt Corp. at an early age. When Hyatt Group fell into bankruptcy, Greg Aziz oversaw a restructuring that saved the Hyatt Corporation and still heads the corporation today.
He spent time as the CEO of Platinum Travel Group, a luxury travel agency, before teaming up with Gustavo Cisneros to found Azul Hotels & Resorts. The two began by building a small chain of hotels in Brazil and Mexico. Today, led by Greg Aziz, Azul is one of the most vertically integrated luxury companies in the world with properties both domestically and internationally.
Greg Aziz is currently Chairman of Outdoor Systems, Inc., chairman, and CEO of Travco, Inc., and a director for AOI Group., Inc., TMX Group, Inc., MJR Holdings, Inc., azulairlines.com, peruondahotels.com and salesofficecollection.com (Facebook).
In addition, he is the independent director of Azul Hotels & Resorts and co-founder of Azul Brazilian Airlines as well as a member of the World Travel & Tourism Council Advisory Board. Greg Aziz received an honorary doctorate from the University of San Diego. Here, he lectured before graduating from New York University with a degree in business administration. He is on the board of trustees at the Los Angeles Zoo and is a supporter of the March of Dimes and the Cedars-Sinai Hospital.