Justin Jabara took over the reins of his family business, Meyer Jabara Hotels, at an inauspicious time — January 2020. The newly minted president had to quickly pivot the company so it would survive throughout the COVID-19 lockdown and beyond.
“The good news is we’ve come out of COVID, and we’re stronger for it,” Jabara said.
The family business has been operating for 46 years, beginning as Motel Hotel Associates in 1977 with the purchase of the Holiday Inn in Danbury, Connecticut. Founders William Meyer and Richard Jabara worked diligently to expand their hotel portfolio, identifying the growth potential and then purchasing land and building properties throughout the eastern United States along the Interstate 95 corridor. Today, Meyer Jabara has over 20 brands of boutique and branded hotels.
“I was a product of the hotel family,” Jabara said. “When we went on vacation, we didn’t go to Disney. We’d go to one of the hotels. And I’d sit in the kitchen with the chef, or I’d sit at the front desk, or a housekeeper would watch me, and that’s how I grew up.”
As Jabara grew up, he began working at hotels at age 16 in roles such as prep cook and room service. He attended Johnson & Wales University, where he gained experience recruiting for the family business while traveling among its various properties.
While Jabara spent many hours in the business, his father encouraged him to follow his passion of being a volunteer firefighter and find out what made him happy in life. “One of the nice things about my life’s path has been that I was able to follow my passion,” Jabara said.
“Ultimately, my passion settled in hospitality.”
After many years under his father’s tutelage, Jabara went to work for Meyer, where he learned to scale the business while adding work with private equity groups and proven developers, he said.
Throughout this time, the founders had an eye on succession. They brought aboard an in-house consultant, James Belasco, an author and founder of San Diego State University’s Management Development Center, who created a company culture that eventually became known as “the journey.”
“We as family members had access to Jim,” Jabara said. “He helped me to formulate my career and helped the family formulate our succession plan. All of that takes so much work, and it’s hard to do on your own.”
Jabara has one brother who covers a large portion of the company’s holdings in the Maryland area and also has brothers and sisters not involved in the family business.
“There was no special treatment for being a family member,” he said. “You cleared your own path.”
Jabara is actively planning for Meyer Jabara’s future, alongside his father and Meyer as advisers and mentors. “We’re working on filling a development department because scale is critical for the future,” he said.
The company is also expanding in the eastern end of Long Island, opening a boutique property in the spring and currently operating The Menhaden in the North Fork.
Beyond operating the business itself, the company is deeply connected to giving back to the communities in which it operates, using its full-service hotels during the holidays to feed those in need and help support food pantries.
“When you look at the makeup of our hotels and who we employ,” Jabara said, “it’s the America dream in many cases. Our culture is all about learning, so if you’re a front desk person, and we haven’t given you the skills to progress beyond that, we’re failing you as an employer.
“Giving back is one of our core pillars, and it’s our job to have our general managers of our hotels be involved in their local communities.”