Tilman Fertitta Confirmed as Ambassador to Italy

A diplomatic chapter is underway for Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta.

The hospitality and real estate mogul behind Landry’s and owner of the Houston Rockets was confirmed by the U.S. Senate this week as ambassador to Italy and San Marino, the Houston Business Journal reported.

The vote passed with strong bipartisan support, 83-14.

Fertitta, whose net worth is estimated at $11.3 billion by Forbes, previously stated he would resign from several high-profile leadership roles if confirmed.

In a letter to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, he said he planned to exit executive positions at Landry’s and its parent company Fertitta Entertainment LLC, among others. He’ll keep a passive stake in those businesses and declined a severance package in favor of a deferred compensation payout.

Stepping away from day-to-day operations, Fertitta won’t be fully out of the spotlight.

He’ll remain the owner of his NBA team, though he has pledged to recuse himself from any diplomatic matters that could pose a conflict of interest with the league.

His departure marks the end of an era at Landry’s, which he bought in 1988, took public in 1993 and then privatized again in a $1.4 billion deal in 2020. The company grew into a national powerhouse with more than 600 restaurant locations and hospitality holdings, including the Golden Nugget Casino chain and Houston’s Post Oak Hotel & Tower.

Fertitta has also expanded aggressively in real estate. He acquired Houston’s River Oaks District for $450 million last year, adding 4.3 acres of adjacent land with plans for redevelopment. In New York, he bought the iconic Keens Steakhouse for $30 million, citing the long-term value of the real estate itself.

The appointment comes after Fertitta donated $1 million to President Donald Trump’s inaugural fund and received the nod for the ambassadorship late last year. He has long been active in Republican politics and served as chair of the University of Houston System’s board of regents.

He’s expected to begin his diplomatic duties in Rome later this spring.

— Judah Duke