Peter Friend
Peter Friend is a Hospitality and Tech Entrepreneur who has acquired and launched several businesses over the last 25 years. He currently is Founder and President of Global Hotel Card, Inc. which issues eGift cards worldwide to incentive, employee recognition and reward programs worldwide.
Prior to founding Global Hotel Card in 2006 he developed, acquired and managed several franchised hotels including Radisson Hotels, Starwood, Holiday Inn and Best Western Hotels, throughout the United States. He also founded Pier 35 Events, Inc. in 1995, which managed special event centers in California including the Cruise Ship Terminal in San Francisco.
Friend grew up in the Bay Area and a Graduate of the University of California, Berkeley with a BA degree in History with honors. He is an active board member of the Incentive Marketing Association in the US and Europe. Friend has served on the non- profit Boards of Jewish Vocational Services, the Jewish Community Center in San Francisco, Marin Arts, and serves on the finance committee of the JCC.
Friend has lived abroad in Europe and Asia and continues to have a passion for travel in the US and abroad both professionally and personally. When he is not working or travelling, Friend enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, kayaking, golf, fly fishing and his newly found passion for Pickle Ball!
He resides in San Francisco after raising his two grown sons Max and Matthew in Marin.