Efrem Harkham

Efrem Harkham
Born	Israel
Nationality	American
Occupation	Entrepreneur
Children	3
Relatives	Benjamin Harkham Uri Harkham
Website	LuxeHotels.com

Efrem Harkham is an American hotelier and philanthropist from Beverly Hills, California.

Harkham is the Founder and CEO of LeHotels.com, a company representing 200 hotels globally, and Luxe Hotels, a chain formerly consisting of three luxury hotels.

Early life

Efrem Harkham was born in an Orthodox Jewish family in Israel.[1][2][3] His maternal ancestors are keepers of Ezra's Tomb in Iraq.[4] However, he grew up in Australia.[1][3][5] He studied law at university.[6] He has a brother, Benjamin Harkham, who also studied law and is presently the Chairman and CEO of Benima Pty Ltd, Wakenby Limited, Maravale Pty Ltd and the Ben Harkham Group of Companies. [1][2][3] Efrem's also has a brother, Uri Harkham, who is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Harkham Industries, a women's clothing company, Chairman Emeritus of Harkham Properties, and a Director of Public Storage.[7][8]

Career

Harkham started his career in the fashion industry.[2] He served as the Chief Executive Officer of Harkham Industries, representing the Jonathan Martin and Hype brands.[2]

The former Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel in Beverly Hills.

He moved to Los Angeles in 1978.[2] Five years later, in 1983, he purchased the Bel-Air Summit Hotel, now known as the Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel, located in Bel Air.[1][3][9] A decade later, in 1993, he purchased the Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel, located on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.[1][4] He subsequently added a third hotel to his portfolio, known as the Luxe City Center Hotel, located in Downtown Los Angeles.[2] The three hotels comprised the Luxe Hotels brand.[1] He sold the Luxe Rodeo Drive to LVMH in 2021.[10]

He founded Luxe Worldwide Hotels in 1998.[11] He serves as its President and Chief Executive Officer.[11] The company provides marketing, sales and reservation services to 200 hotels globally, with a workforce of 315 employees.[1]

He serves on the Board of Directors of the Jewish Television Network.[3]

Philanthropy

In 1991, with his brother Uri, he donated $1 million to the Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy.[3] With his ex-wife, he also donated to the 2008 renovation of the Shalhevet High School, a co-education Orthodox Jewish school in Los Angeles.[12] Additionally, he has donated to the Orthodox Union and Chabad.[3]

Personal life

He is a naturalized American citizen.[5] He was married to Kendra Harkham; they divorced in 2011.[13] He resides in Beverly Hills, California.[6] Efrem Harkham is the brother of Benjamin Harkham, a renowned lawyer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who resides in Sydney, Australia.[14][15]

References

1. Hugo Martin, Efrem Harkham oversees a world of hotels, Los Angeles Times, July 10, 2011
2. Jacqueline Maddison, Beverly Hills Spotlight: Efrem Harkham, Beverly Hills Magazine, December 3, 2013
3. Naomi Pfefferman, Labor Pains, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, February 19, 1998
4. Laura Coleman, Luxe Celebrates 30-Year Anniversary; A Real Estate Venture That Went Global, The Beverly Hills Courier
5. Tamara Audi,In Los Angeles, Some Voters Cast Ballots in Luxury , The Wall Street Journal, November 4, 2014
6. Keith Loria, Efrem Harkham: The Luxe Factor Archived 2014-12-05 at the Wayback Machine, C-Suite Quarterly, Q4 2013
7. Forbes: Uri Harkham
8. Bloomberg BusinessWeek: Uri Harkham
9. Luxe Hotels: History
10. https://www.costar.com/article/714446306/louis-vuitton-parent-company-confirmed-as-buyer-of-hotel-in-beverly-hills
11. Bloomberg BusinessWeek
12. David Suissa, A school with attitude, The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, August 27, 2008
13. Mark David, Mary McDonald Sunburst Madness in Beverly Hills, Variety, June 8, 2011
14. "Sydney's Harkham family seeks $200m worth of retirement villages for listed vehicle". Australian Financial Review. 2015-10-07. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
15. MarketScreener. "Benjamin Harkham - Biography". www.marketscreener.com. Retrieved 2022-03-25.