Al DeBerry
Al DeBerry is a career hotelier based in Dallas, Texas, with more than 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He began his career as an overnight front desk clerk while attending the University of North Texas, and became a hotel General Manager at just 21 years old. From there he rose through roles as Area Director and Company Vice-President before eventually becoming a hotel owner. Today he serves as Managing Director of the Lorenzo Hotel in Dallas — a boutique property known as a "living art gallery" for local female artists, and famous as the place Tina Turner fled to in 1976 after escaping Ike Turner. DeBerry has become something of a steward of that history, helping create the hotel's "Escape Suite" tribute and speaking about it in interviews with CBS Texas, FOX 4, and Dallas Voice.
Beyond hotel operations, DeBerry is a recognized leader in the Texas hospitality industry. In 2010, the American Hotel & Lodging Association named him its Leadership Award recipient for the state of Texas. He founded The Hotel Association, a Dallas/Fort Worth-based hospitality organization, in 2015, and has served on the boards of the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association, the Hotel Association of Tarrant County, and the Texas Travel Alliance. He also mentors the next generation of hospitality professionals through advisory board roles at DFW-area high schools and colleges. In 2020, he published *The Life of a Hotelier: The GM Years*, a bestselling book chronicling his first decade in the business from 1985 to 1996.
Al DeBerry is a career hotelier based in the DFW area of Texas. He has more than 40 years of experience in the hotel / hospitality industry. He began his career as an overnight hotel front desk clerk while attending the University of North Texas and became a hotel General Manager at the astounding young age of 21. From there, he rose through roles as Area Director then company Vice President before eventually living out his dream of owning his own hotel. In 2015, he created and developed “The Hotel Association”, an organization based in Dallas focusing on education and involvement of every level of hospitality professional in the DFW area.
As the co-host of the “Get The Manager” Podcast, Al works tirelessly to convey his thoughts, ideas, and concepts to help improve the industry he loves so much. Prior to creating the Podcast with one of his best friends, Raluca Leibowitz, Al had overseen the Lorenzo Hotel in Dallas, Texas. While at the Lorenzo for more than five years beginning in 2020, Al and his team achieved the #1 guest ranked rating in Dallas out of more than 230 hotels on Tripadvisor for the years 2021 and 2022.
Beyond hotel operations, Al is a renowned leader in the industry. In 2010, the American Hotel & Lodging Association recognized him as its Leadership Award Recipient for the State of Texas. Throughout his career he has served on numerous boards and committees related to the hotel / hospitality industry most notably he was the Chairman of the Board for the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association in 2009 then served as Chairman of the Board for the Texas Travel Alliance in 2022.
Al has given keynote speeches over the years at many colleges and universities focusing on instilling the passion he has for the industry to students, teachers, and all hospitality professionals alike. One of his crowning achievements was the publishing of his book, “The Life of a Hotelier” in 2021 related to his humble beginnings as a very young college student to his growth and development as a seasoned, award winning hotelier.
