After more than four decades in the hospitality industry, Liberty Group has sold its last remaining hotels.
The Tampa-based investment firm, led by chief executive officer Punit Shah, announced the sale this week, which included Marriott and Hilton properties in Tampa, Fort Pierce, Cape Coral, Ormond Beach and The Villages.
“This is a deeply personal and historic moment for our family,” said Shah, who has led the firm’s expansion and diversification over the past two decades. “My father and I are proud of the economic impact and the thousands of jobs we’ve created in the hospitality industry over the last four decades.”
Liberty Group was founded by Shah’s father, Raxit Shah, and grew from a single property into a portfolio of 57 hotels under national brands including Hilton, Marriott and IHG. At its peak, the company oversaw more than 5,000 rooms nationwide.
With the sale now complete, Liberty Group will turn its full attention to managing its diversified family office platform. The firm has invested more than $1 billion in real estate, private equity and structured capital, with a growing emphasis on capital preservation, strategic partnerships and impact investing.
Philanthropy remains central to the Shah family’s mission. The Punit Shah Family Foundation has donated more than $4 million, in recent years, including a $1 million gift to Berkeley Preparatory School, in Tampa, in 2024.
Shah, a Boston University alumnus, has also made headlines as a co-owner of the Miami Marlins, becoming the first Indian American to own a Major League Baseball team. He joined the ownership group formed by Bruce Sherman and former Yankees great Derek Jeter.