Founder & Chairman
Gordon Sondland is the Founder & Chairman of Provenance, a national owner, operator and developer of full-service boutique hotels.
An early adopter of the lifestyle hotel concept, Sondland started his career in hospitality when he formed Provenance, opening its first – Hotel Lucia – in downtown Portland, Oregon in 2001. Today, the successful brand has grown organically, comprised of 14 uniquely designed assets in some of the nation’s most sought-after metropolitan markets from Boston to Seattle. The latest development in Fort Wayne, Indiana – The Bradley – is slated to open in Spring 2021. Collectively, the brand and individual hotels have garnered national and international acclaim among industry-leading publications like The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure as well as prestigious rankings on the CNT Reader’s Choice Awards and T+L’s Gold List.
In 2018, Sondland was appointed to serve as the 20th U.S. Ambassador to the European Union. Sondland was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate in June 2018 and served as Ambassador to the E.U. until February 2020. As Ambassador, Sondland was one of the highest-ranking U.S. officials in Europe and his portfolio included trade, energy, national security, defense, agriculture and several other files.
Sondland has also held positions on Governor Ted Kulongoski’s transition team, as well as on the Commission for White House Fellowships to which he was appointed by President George W. Bush. He served as a principal Republican liaison between Oregon and the White House and assisted successfully in securing federal funds for various urgent State needs. Sondland also served as Chairman of the Portland Art Museum until 2011. He was appointed by Governor Kulongoski as Chairman to the Governor’s Office of Film and Television in 2002. As one of the longest serving members and Chairs for the office, he helped to secure a number of opportunities for Oregon including the production of such television series as The Librarians, Grimm to big screen hits like Wild, starring Reese Witherspoon.
He recently served as a member of the U.S. Bancorp Advisory Board and on the Board of Visitors of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. He recently served on the board of Curator Hotels & Resorts collection.
Sondland co-founded the Gordon Sondland & Katherine J. Durant Foundation which was established to help families and boost communities. Since its inception in 1993, the foundation has supported initiatives in the Portland arts community, childhood education, African hunger programs like the nutrition program for the Simonga Village School in Zambia, which feeds 500 students daily, as well as medical research and support of the Military Service Initiative by the Bush Center in Dallas, Texas.