Roy Donahue “Don” Peebles is one of the most influential figures in modern American real estate development. As the founder, chairman, and CEO of The Peebles Corporation, established in 1983, Peebles built what is widely recognized as the largest Black-owned real estate development and investment company in the United States. Headquartered in New York City, the firm specializes in large-scale residential, hospitality, and mixed-use commercial projects in gateway cities across the country.
The Largest Black-owned real estate development company – Transforming the Hospitality Landscape
The Bath House, a Historic Beach Club, Miami Beach
For the history of African American hotel ownership, Don Peebles represents a pivotal 20th-century milestone.
In 1996, Peebles made history when his company won the rights to develop the Royal Palm Hotel in Miami Beach. With that acquisition and redevelopment, he became the first African American to own and develop a major hotel in the United States. The achievement marked a significant breakthrough in an industry long closed to Black ownership at scale and helped reshape perceptions of who could lead major hospitality and mixed-use developments in premier markets.
That milestone extended the legacy of earlier Black hoteliers—from community-based innkeepers of the Jim Crow era to urban icons like Harlem’s Hotel Theresa—into the modern era of institutional-scale development.
BANKHEAD MARTA Bankhead Marta, Atlanta, Georgia
Scale, Reach & Industry Leadership
Under Peebles’ leadership, The Peebles Corporation has developed a portfolio exceeding 10 million square feet of projects with a total investment value surpassing $8 billion.
Major Markets Include:
- New York City
- Washington, D.C.
- Miami
- Los Angeles
- Boston
- San Francisco
- Charlotte
Notable Projects:
- Angels Landing in Los Angeles — a $1.6 billion mixed-use development
- Affirmation Tower (proposed) in New York City
- Multiple luxury residential, hospitality, and public-private redevelopment projects across key U.S. cities
Peebles’ work spans luxury hotels, residential towers, mixed-use complexes, and transformative urban redevelopment projects—often in partnership with municipalities.
Affirmative Development™: A Modern Model of Inclusion
A defining aspect of Peebles’ legacy is his “Affirmative Development™” model. This approach embeds economic inclusion into large-scale development projects by:
- Partnering with minority- and women-owned businesses (MWBEs)
- Structuring public-private partnerships to increase access to capital
- Prioritizing workforce diversity and inclusive procurement
- Advocating for policy shifts that expand ownership pathways
In addition, Peebles has launched a $500 million investment initiative to support minority developers—aimed at narrowing the wealth gap in commercial real estate.
Author, Fundraiser & National Voice
Beyond development, Don Peebles is also an author and political fundraiser. He frequently speaks on entrepreneurship, capital access, and economic empowerment, positioning Black ownership not merely as representation—but as scalable wealth creation.
Why Don Peebles Matters in the History of African American Hotel Ownership
From segregated boarding houses and Black-owned inns that served travelers during the Green Book era to billion-dollar mixed-use towers in America’s largest cities, the arc of Black hospitality ownership reflects resilience and reinvention.
Don Peebles stands at the modern apex of that trajectory.
His development of major hotels in premier markets signaled a transition from survival-based ownership to institutional-scale leadership. In doing so, he expanded what Black ownership could look like in the 21st-century hospitality and real estate industry.
For any comprehensive history of African American hotel ownership, Don Peebles represents a defining chapter—where access to capital, political strategy, and development expertise converged to break long-standing industry barriers.
-Learn more: The Peebles Corporation
✓ Check-out: History of African American Hotel Ownership