H. E. "Duffy" Keys
H. E. “Duffy” Keys is the Company’s President, Manager and Chief Operating Officer. He is an accomplished executive with 20-year tenure at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, where he was a leader in both the hotel management company and its branded residential business. During that period, the company experienced explosive growth and successfully achieved a dominant position as the premiere global brand in the luxury-lodging category. In September 2003, Keys formed Keys Associates, managing several hospitality consulting relationships, including a strategic advisory role with Exclusive Resorts. He is also co-founder of 26º Brix Wine Company,a start-up wine business focused on producing premium blended red wines from Napa, California.
From 1999, as Four Seasons senior vice president, Mr. Keys spearheaded the chain’s new venture into the shared-ownership residential market (Four Seasons Residence Clubs), playing a crucial role in defining its fractional ownership concept and securing Four Seasons position as the luxury leader in this emerging real estate segment. Based in Carlsbad, California, and reporting to the president, Worldwide Business Operations, Mr. Keys was responsible for all aspects of this division, including operations, finance, marketing and sales.
Prior to this appointment, Mr. Keys was senior vice president, business development Asia-Pacific, where he led Four Seasons’ new development and acquisition activities in the region. From 1992 to 1996, Mr. Keys served as the vice president, sales and marketing Asia-Pacific for Four Seasons and Regent Hotels. Based at the company’s regional headquarters in Hong Kong, he directed and executed marketing, public relations, advertising and sales programs for the company’s 16 properties and four worldwide sales offices across 12 Asia-Pacific countries.
Preceding his positions in Asia, Mr. Keys was vice president, hotel marketing, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, where he supervised marketing operations and worked to increase property level revenues for its USA, Canada and Mexico hotels. Before that, he held the position of director of field marketing, where he oversaw marketing activities for new hotel openings across the United States and developed strategic marketing partnerships with travel and non-travel related companies.
Mr. Keys holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Hotel Management from Florida International University. Keys is a member of the Urban Land Institute where he actively serves on the Recreational Development Council and is also a member of the American Resort Development Association.
