IN A WORLD of construction cranes and corporate suits, hospitality figure Sandra Cardona stands tall as a visionary and a true renaissance woman.
Cardona’s career spans more than 20 years across a broad range of disciplines from architecture, interior design and art into commercial real estate with a focus on hospitality design and project management.
Until last year, she was leading the charge at Turnberry Associates as senior vice president of hotel development and construction. Since joining in 2022, Sandra was the architect of Turnberry's hospitality portfolio, a role in which she steered the growth of luxury branded and independent hotel projects.
Prior to this role, Cardona busy shaping American hospitality skyline as vice president of development and capital planning at Hersha Hospitality Trust, a real estate investment trust that owns and operates upscale hotels.
She joined Hersha in 2004 as a field representative. She went on to become senior director of development and capital planning in 2011.
While at Hersha, Cardona earned a reputation for transforming and elevating the company's portfolio from midscale to luxury. Her goal was to not only build hotels, but to craft guest experiences.
Over the years, Cardona played pivotal roles in key projects, ranging from the 24-story Hilton Garden Inn Midtown East, New York City, to the 93-room tower addition at the Courtyard Miami Beach Oceanfront. Her projects spanned from D.C. to California to Florida.
In New York, Miami and Key West, Sandra and her team led reconstruction efforts at properties damaged in 2017 by Hurricane Irma.
Before joining Hersha, Cardona worked for several architectural and design firms, primarily focused on hospitality.
Cardona’s leadership style is also shaped by her roots and upbringing.
A native New Yorker, Sandra was born in East Harlem and grew up in the Bronx. Over her life and career, she is known to value adaptability and self-awareness. She credits her parents for her unwavering sense of self, often saying that since childhood, she was surrounded by people who spoke their minds and were not afraid of confrontation.
She often narrates how she derives her work ethic from her father, who after immigrating to East Harlem from Puerto Rico as a teenager, had worked multiple jobs, gaining additional skills and responsibilities along the way.
Cardona’s path to working in hospitality started from her love for art. In college, she first pursued art but soon switched to architecture. She received a Bachelor of Architecture from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.
She joined the NYC firm William B. Tabler Architect, where she played a critical role in the renovation of The Hotel Roosevelt as well as the downtown Brooklyn Marriott.
Even today, she credits her passion for the built environment and hospitality design to William B. Tabler Architects.
She writes on social media, “I was introduced into hospitality design by NYC firm William B. Tabler Architects. It was then that my love for hotels and respect for what it takes to get something built in the construction and real estate industry began.”
Cardona is not only about blueprints and boardrooms. She is also a champion of social causes. As an adviser to the United Clergy Task Force since 2015, she's a voice for community revitalization and affordable housing.
