Hotels. Creative Director. Brand Experience.
Ben is an award winning hospitality entrepreneur best known for his role in developing Ian Schrager’s global luxury lifestyle brand, EDITION Hotels. Ben was integral in the development of the brand’s identity through world class cultural programming, brand marketing and Food and Beverage concept development.
In 2022 Ben launched the Beach Caves at the Six Senses Ibiza. A ‘hotel within a hotel’ comprising of 6 suites, a 100 seat restaurant, bar, private dining experience, a recording studio and nightclub. Previously, he launched numerous hotels with Morgans Hotel Group, King & Grove, Ruschmeyers, Surf Lodge and PUBLIC among others.
Ben is invited to speak at travel conferences around the world including Design Hotels - Arena, LE Miami and the Independent Lodging conference. He is notably recognized for his efforts in responsible hospitality after launching STAY PLASTIC FREE and has served on the board of ocean conservation charity Project 0 and Mezcal brand Gem&Bolt.
Ben is the founder of A Hotel Life, a travel platform with over 170,000 subscribers.
Press
Ibiza’s Dreamy New ‘Beach Caves’ Offers Travelers A New Type Of Experience On The Island
Ibiza has long been the destination of choice for sun-seeking party-goers, and nestled along the crystalline coast of Cala Xarraca Bay, Six Senses Ibiza opened their doors in the summer of 2021 and has been ushering in a new era of luxury on the island ever since..
Forbes
The World's Best Party Cities That Aren't Vegas
To get a better sense of where, specifically, we should be partying our faces off (or planning that looming bachelor party), we tapped Ben Pundole, founder of A Hotel Life and the vice president of brand experience for EDITION Hotels. As someone who spends 50 to 60% of his year traveling around the world to find out what’s, you know, hot and cool, he’s a good man to ask where the party, specifically, is at.
GQ
A luxury hotel chain is making it hip to ditch single use plastic
Ian Schrager’s boutique luxury hotel chain EDITION Hotels, which is co-owned by Marriot, is trying to cut down on the most environmentally damaging of those resources: single-use plastic. In honor of Earth Day on April 22, they’ve pledged to eliminate single-use plastic from all their hotels by this time next year—and to serve as a leader in the hospitality industry for a plastic free moment-turned-movement. The campaign has been spearheaded by EDITION’s vice president of brand experiences, Ben Pundole.
Quartz
Ian Schrager's New PUBLIC Hotel Opens With a Splash
The new hotel sits on Chrystie Street in a massive new building and, in the company's words, aims to bring "luxury for all" with thoughtful design, top notch service and premium amenities at a (relatively) affordable price point.
Paper Mag
Sunset brings the spirit of STUDIO 54 to West Hollywood
Attracting LA’s elite and colorful club kids from all walks of life, Sunset was conceptualized by culture connoisseur Ben Pundole, VP of Brand Experience at EDITION Hotels, who has worked with Schrager since 1999. Pundole was educated at London’s infamous Groucho Club before establishing his career in NYC with Ian Schrager and Morgans Hotel Group.
V Magazine
Are you a travel ‘promad’?
“The big brands know that in the future people will turn to them for community,” says Ben Pundole, hospitality consultant for brands such as Six Senses and founder of travel platform A Hotel Life. “But will they have the sensitivity and emotion required to make it feel authentic?”
Financial Times
Rewriting his own meal ticket
When Ben Pundole announced last summer that he had left King & Grove, the boutique hotel chain he helped found, a lot of people wondered what the man behind Ruschmeyer’s and the Surf Lodge, two hot spots in Montauk, N.Y., was going to do next.
New York Times
Tastemakers and trailblazers tell us what discovery means to them
Discovery is subjective, very personal and can encompass so many things. For me, it's really a feeling - when the climate, people, nature, food and culture combine to create the perfect sense of adventure or calm. Discovery can change from one day to the next and, whether it makes you feel the most alive and excited or at peace and tranquil, it's the recognition and gratitude of that moment that is the greatest discovery.
Suitcase