Steve Farzam, Neighbor

Steve Farzam is a hospitality expert with experience at every level of hotel management, from conceptualization and design all the way to day-to-day operations. He currently serves as the chief operating officer (COO) of the Shore Hotel in Santa Monica, California, where he applies his passion for service to deliver unforgettable experiences to guests and to ensure that every detail at the hotel goes off without a hitch. A stalwart advocate for sustainability, Steve Farzam works fervently to minimize the Shore Hotel’s environmental impact and to constantly introduce new eco-friendly practices.

Before he entered the family business—his father, an Iranian immigrant, owned and operated several motels in Southern California—Steve earned a B.A. in sociology from California State University, Northridge in 2003. At the time, Steve Farzam’s zeal to serve others motivated him to obtain his paramedic’s certification and save lives. He became certified in 2007 and soon began working as a flight paramedic as well as an instructor and professor of emergency medicine at several California colleges.

In 2008, while off-duty, Steve saved the life of an unconscious person trapped inside a burning car. For this act of heroism, which he considers to be his crowning achievement, Steve received the Medal of Valor from the Burn Institute and the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

When the Farzam family decided to renovate a beachfront motel across the street from Santa Monica’s famous pier into a premier eco-friendly hotel—the Shore Hotel—Steve signed on as COO. He managed the facility’s LEED Gold design and construction, its grand opening, and today, he oversees all operations. Each day, Steve Farzam channels his profound passion for service into a constant effort to provide guests with an incredible experience. He credits much of his success to his perspective which allows him to approach situations as both a manager and a rank-and-file employee. In 2018 Steve Farzam earned his Juris Doctor in Law.

In fact, thanks to his work, the Shore Hotel has become one of the world’s most acclaimed hotels. It regularly holds the number-one ranking on TripAdvisor out of 40 hotels in the city, and Conde Naste Traveler rated it fourth out of the top 50 luxury hotels in the world.

Furthermore, Steve Farzam is also dedicated to reducing the carbon footprint and impact that the Shore Hotel has on the environment. He has spearheaded a number of groundbreaking green initiatives that have earned awards and accolades. Thanks to Steve’s leadership, for example, the Shore Hotel became the first property in the state of California to successfully deploy a fully-automated “Auto Demand Response” system; this allows Southern California Edison to transmit a signal during periods of peak electrical use that reduces 50% of power consumption at the hotel without compromising operations or amenities on-site.

Beyond his professional life, Steve Farzam supports a number of philanthropic initiatives, like the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Los Angeles, the American Red Cross, Scripps Hospital, and others. He lives in Santa Monica, California.