Colony Capital, one of the largest private equity real estate investors in the world, owns office, hospitality, gaming, residential, and retail properties. Its holdings include stakes in France-based retailer Carrefour and hotel operator Accor, as well as Canada-based luxury hotel chain Fairmont Raffles. In 2007 the company backed a nearly $5 billion buyout of Station Casinos by that company's founders and management. Colony Capital is controlled by chairman and CEO Tom Barrack, a renowned dealmaker who originally formed the firm in 1991 to invest in debt from the savings and loan crisis. The company has invested approximately $40 billion in real estate-related assets since its founding.