The 10 Most Highly Compensated Hotel CEOs of 2015

Another year, another big windfall for Wynn Resorts CEO Steve Wynn — even if it’s about $4.6 million less than the $25.3 million he took home last year. Even with his diminished compensation total from 2015, Wynn, with nearly $20.7 million far out-performed the pack of most highly compensated hospitality CEOs for 2015, making $5.7 million more than his nearest competitor. Coming in second was Wyndham Worldwide CEO Stephen P. Holmes, who took home about $14.9 million. Hotel CEO compensation totals continue to be a bellwether, of sorts, for the strengths of their respective companies and the health of the hospitality industry as a whole. Here’s a closer look at who made what, and why. Gaming CEOs In keeping with trends we’ve tracked in 2013 and 2014, gaming CEOs were at or near the top of the list yet again, even if many of those major gaming companies, especially Wynn and Las Vegas Sands, had to deal with dwindling tourism and casino revenue numbers from Macau following a crackdown on questionable junkets and lavish spending by Chinese nationals. Even so, MGM Resorts International CEO James J. Murren (about $13.3 million) and Las Vegas Sands’ Sheldon Adelson (about $12.2 million) both saw their total compensation figures rise slightly in 2015 compared to 2014, placing them in the third and fifth positions on the list. Also making an appearance on the list was Caesars Entertainment CEO Mark Frissora, the former CEO of Hertz, who took home about $12.8 million in 2015, for fourth place. Frissora took leadership of the company, which filed for bankruptcy in January 2015. Frissora succeeded Caesars’ current chairman, Gary Loveman, in July 2015. Since its bankruptcy, Caesars, once the world’s largest gaming company, has struggled, posting a first-quarter loss of $308 million in 2016, compared to a profit of $6.77 billion in 2015. In 2014, as Caesars CEO, Loveman t