Legendary hotelier Bob Burns dies

SOUTHAMPTON, New York – Robert Burns, founder of Regent International Hotels, passed peacefully on August 29, 2025. He was 96 years old.

The visionary hotelier pioneered modern luxury hospitality with the iconic Hong Kong-based Regent brand which he founded and served as chairman and chief executive officer from 1970 to 1992. Following his time leading Regent, he purchased and transformed an abandoned villa into the Grand Hotel A Villa Feltrinelli on Lake Garda in northern Italy.

"Bob was more than an industry icon -- he was a mentor who profoundly shaped my life, both personally and professionally, and whose influence on luxury hospitality is immeasurable," Raymond Bickson, who worked with Burns at Regent and today founder of Bickson Hospitality Group, told Hotel Investment Today.

"Throughout his remarkable life, Bob set new standards for excellence, innovation, and personalized service. His leadership at Regent International Hotels created some of the world's most iconic properties and inspired a generation of hoteliers to pursue hospitality as both an art and a calling -- myself included. His commitment to nurturing talent, fostering creativity and setting the highest standards of excellence will live on as his legacy.

"I am forever grateful for the privilege of having known and learned from Bob. My passion for supporting the next generation of hoteliers through mentorship and education was inspired by Bob.

"On a personal level, his belief gave me the confidence to take on new challenges, and his example set the standard I have aspired to throughout my career.

"I invite our community to continue to 'pay it forward' in his honor."

A native New Yorker, Burns graduated from the School of Hotel Management at Michigan State University (1958) and received an MBA from University of Michigan (1960), after serving four years in the U.S. Army. He then embarked on his career in hotels which led him to Hawaii. At the young age of 34 he was appointed general manager of the Kahala Hilton in Diamond Head, where his signature focus on anticipating guest needs and his deep respect and partnership with all staff members set him apart.

In 1992 Burns went on to become co-founder of the World Travel and Tourism Council, which works to encourage global industry growth and protect cultural and natural heritage sites important to tourism. He also created the Robert Burns Foundation with a goal of further strengthening ties between East and West by providing scholarships to Asian students for studies in the U.S. In addition, he developed seminars on tourism-related topics in China and a preservation study of Vietnam’s ancient port of Hoi An, which would later become a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular tourist destination.

Always passionate about advancing tourism and the hospitality industry, he was a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Management and the University of Hawaii’s School of Travel Industry Management and lectured annually at Stanford University.

An avid jazz lover, Burns was an executive board member for Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. He served on various hotel and real estate boards including Wharf (Holdings) Ltd. in Hong Kong and Oberoi Hotels in India. While helping to develop Capella Singapore on Sentosa Island, “Bob’s Bar” was created as an homage to him from the grateful owner.

“Bob” Burns will be remembered as not only a visionary hotelier who set new standards for modern luxury hospitality, but as a travel industry advocate dedicated to nurturing future generations of hoteliers and promoting responsible tourism. To his friends and family, he exuded charm, elegance and refinement. He was an eloquent raconteur with captivating tales of a life well-lived, and first and foremost a loving and devoted husband and father.

After 50 years in Hong Kong, the remaining years of his life were spent peacefully in Southampton, New York, where he is survived by his wife Janice, son Robert III and beloved pooch Homer.