Rani Gharbie

Rani Gharbie is the Managing Director, Investment and Development, Americas at CitizenM Hotels Group, an asset-heavy owner-operator backed by GIC, APG, and KRC. With a strong track record in hotel investment, development and operation over a 25-year career span, Rani has held key positions at Virgin Hotels, BD Hotels, Life House, IHG, JLL and Hyatt.

Throughout his career, Rani has overseen the growth of over 20 hotels valued at $1.8B and provided strategic guidance on real estate investments worth $4.2B. He also launched Cedar Funds, a New York City-based development and investment firm focused on high-end lifestyle hotel deals.

Rani’s academic qualifications include a Master’s Degree in Real Estate Development (MSRED) from Columbia GSAPP, an MBA from the HEC Business School in Canada, and a Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management from Glion Hotel School in Switzerland. He also holds a Certificate in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University.

In addition to his role at Citizen Hotels Group, Rani serves as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia GSAPP, where he teaches the “Private Equity, Hotel Development” course in the MSRED program.

Rani has lived on three continents and speaks three languages. He is a regular guest speaker at key industry conferences and an avid triathlete. He resides in New York City with his wife Alisha and their son, Reece.