Gabriel Escarrer Meliá Hotels International, Spain

Gabriel Escarrer founded Meliá Hotels International, one of the world’s largest hotel chains, when he was just 21. Starting with one 60-room hotel on Palma de Mallorca, Spain more than 50 years ago, Escarrer now sits atop an empire of more than 350 hotels and resorts in 35 countries, which haul in $1.6 billion in revenues.  The largest hotel chain in Spain and one of the largest in the world, Meliá continues to grow. In 2013 the company added 28 new hotels and was on pace to do the same in 2014.   Escarrer serves as chairman, and his son, also named Gabriel Escarrer, is vice chairman and CEO. They still live on Mallorca, an island off the coast of Spain, where the company is headquartered. The elder Escarrer is an avid golfer.