It is with deep sadness that I announce the passing of industry giant, Morris E. Lasky, who after a private and brave battle with pancreatic cancer, passed quietly on Tuesday morning at his home with his wife Mary Lou by his side.
Morris Lasky was one of the most recognizable faces and names in the hospitality industry for more than 50 years. He was the founder and CEO of Lodging Unlimited, Inc., which provided management, consulting and arbitration services to hundreds of properties and directed more than $7 billion of management activities, development, real-estate and financing over the years. Morris also served as CEO and founder of the LUI Group and Lodging Opportunities Group.
Many people will know Morris as the Co-Chair, Founder and Producer of The Hotel Investment Networking Conference, (THINC), the International Hotel Conference (IHC) in Monte Carlo and Rome, and more notably as Chairman and Co-Founder of the Lodging Conference which is now in its twenty-first successful year.
I remember Morris Lasky giving me advice when I was a very young man and had just recently launched the Equity Hotel Corporation. He was so caring and compassionate that our friendship rooted immediately and has been strong ever since.
There are few people in the industry that are as beloved as Morris Lasky. He was always soft-spoken and ready to help whenever help was needed. He was the first to be involved with any charitable and philanthropic efforts which occupied a good portion of his life. He was a gentleman and cut from the same cloth as the likes of Jack Vaughn, Mike Leven, Lee Dushoff – all men who influenced hundreds of budding hospitality entrepreneurs through the decades.
I loved him as a friend and will miss him dearly. Death ends a life, but it does not end a relationship which struggles on in the survivors mind toward some final resolution, some clear meaning, which it perhaps never finds. The relation that hundreds of people have had with Morris will continue for a very long time.
A “Celebration of Morris’ Life” will be held Monday, April 6th from 3:00pm – 8:00pm at Cog Hill Golf Course Club House in Lemont, IL where Morris loved to golf. A Funeral Mass will be offered by his brother-in-law, Fr. Tom Koys, on Tuesday, April 7th at 11:00am at St. James at Sag Bridge Church also in Lemont, Illinois. In lieu of flowers the family is asking for donations to: University of Chicago, Cancer Research Foundation, For Dr. Hedy Kindler and Dr. Joseph Baron, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., MC1140, Chicago, IL 60637.
______________________
Morris E. Lasky, chief executive officer and founder of the LUI Group, worked in the hospitality industry for more than 50 years.
He formed Lodging Unlimited in 1970 to provide quality management, consulting and marketing services for the hospitality industry. From 1962 to 1970, he served as senior vice president of American Motor Inns, a Helmsley-Spears, Inc. subsidiary formed to acquire troubled hospitality properties. He began his hospitality career in 1956 with Motel Enterprises, Inc. as a general manager and was promoted to vice president of operations for the entire chain at age 23.
Mr. Lasky has successfully testified as an expert witness in multi-million dollar cases involving nationally recognized hotel brands. He has directed Lodging Unlimited in $7 billion of management activity, development, real estate and financing.
As Chairman of the Lodging Opportunities Group (LOG), Mr. Lasky is pleased to announce that Lodging Unlimited’s 40 years of experience consisting of $7 Billion in management and consulting assignments has resulted in a significant new investment group. LOG is a specialized investment firm acquiring, or investing in, underperforming hotels across the United States.
Mr. Lasky is a member of the prestigious “Waldorf=Astoria Distinguished Alumni” group, and has been featured in many major business publications such as The Wall Street Journal, National Real Estate Investor, Hotel Business, Lodging Hospitality, Time and Business Week. In addition, he has also been a guest lecturer for many hospitality, banking, and pension administration groups.
Mr. Lasky was co-chair, founder and producer of The Hotel Investment Networking Conference (THINC) in 2014, chairman and co-founder of The Lodging Conference, now in its 21st successful year, and founder and producer of the International Hotel Conference held in Europe from 2003 to 2010. He currently serves as a member of the advisory board for DePaul University’s School of Hospitality Leadership.
