TRUCKEE, CALIF. — Braemar Hotels & Resorts has agreed to acquire Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe, an upscale hotel and resort property located 13031 Ritz Carlton Highlands Court in Truckee. Additionally, the company is acquiring a 3.4-acre parcel of vacant land adjacent to the hotel. The land is being entitled for luxury residential townhome development. Total consideration for the acquisition is $120 million and consists of $103.4 million for the hotel, or $608,000 per key; $8.4 million for the adjacent development parcel; and $8.2 million for capital reserves. The acquisition is expected to close by Jan. 15, 2019. Built in 2009, the property features 170 guest rooms, including 17 suites; ski-in/ski-out access to Northstar Ski Mountain; Lake Club on the shore of Lake Tahoe, a 17,000-square-foot full-service spa; six food and beverage outlets; more than 37,000 square feet of flexible indoor/outdoor meeting space; two outdoor pools; a fitness club and yoga studio; and the Ritz Kids Club. Ritz-Carlton will continue to manage the property following the acquisition.
Hospitality
NEW YORK CITY — A joint venture between hotel owner-operator MCR and real estate developer and manager Building and Land Technology has secured a $647.5M refinancing for a 53-property hotel portfolio spanning 15 states and 31 markets. The 5,958-room portfolio includes 33 Marriot-branded properties and 20 Hilton-branded properties. The assets are 12 years old on average. Bank of America led the financing, which also included Wells Fargo and two mezzanine lenders. The proceeds will go towards repaying current loans as well as returning capital to the joint venture. Terms of the financing were not disclosed. MCR has offices in New York City and Dallas and is the sixth-largest hotel owner-operator in the United States. MCR’s hotels are operated under 11 different brands. Stamford, Connecticut-based BLT was founded in 1982 and has invested in more than 25 million square feet of commercial, hotel and residential properties across 26 states. — David Cohen
ATLANTA — Atlanta-based Songy Highroads LLC, in partnership with Hyatt Hotels Corp., is developing Hyatt Place Centennial Park, located at 300 Luckie St. in downtown Atlanta. Construction has reached the fifth floor of the 11-story hotel, which is slated to open in August 2019. Situated one block north of Centennial Olympic Park and adjacent to the Georgia Aquarium, the hotel will feature 175 guestrooms, a pool, fitness center, on-site food service, parking deck, 2,100 square feet of meeting space and retail space fronting Luckie and Marietta streets. Reeves Young is serving as general contractor, and Wakefield Beasley is providing architectural services for the project.
PLANO, TEXAS — Northland Properties Corp., a Canadian firm that owns hotel chains, restaurants and sports teams, has opened Sandman Signature Plano-Frisco, a 233-room hotel located on the northern outskirts of Dallas. The property is situated near Dr. Pepper Arena, home of the Dallas Stars hockey team, as well as The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ headquarters in Frisco. The hotel’s amenities include a pool, fitness center and multiple onsite bars and restaurants.
NEW YORK CITY — HREC Capital Markets Group has arranged the $7.4 million refinancing of the leasehold interest in the Look Hotel Red Hook in Brooklyn. Located at 17 Seabring St. in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, the property is adjacent to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. The hotel was recently renovated and upgraded to the Choice Hotels’ boutique Ascend Collection. Greg Porter and Mike Armstrong of HREC represented the borrower, Brooklyn Hotel Group, in securing a floating-rate, non-recourse loan from a private New York-based investment company.
Knighthead Funding Provides $8.5M Construction Loan for Holiday Inn & Suites Near Savannah
by Amy Works
POOLER, GA. — Knighthead Funding has provided an $8.5 million short-term loan for the completion of a Holiday Inn & Suites in Pooler, approximately 20 miles west of Savannah. The sponsor is a Georgia-based hotel development and management company whose assets include Hilton, Marriott and Holiday Inn flagged properties throughout the state. Upon completion in 2019, the hotel will feature 104 guest rooms, a restaurant and lounge, outdoor pool with sundeck, fitness center, business center and market pantry. The sponsor used its own capital to fund the first half of the development, and due to liquidity constraints, needed a creative source of capital to fund the remaining portion of the development.
DUMFRIES, VA. — HREC Investment Advisors has arranged the sale of Holiday Inn Dumfries-Quantico Center, a 107-room hotel located at 3901 Fettler Park Drive in Dumfries, approximately 30 miles from downtown Washington, D.C. Nabria Capital sold the property for an undisclosed price. The name of the buyer was not released. Kevin Hanley and Ketan Patel of HREC’s Washington, D.C., office represented the seller in the transaction. Situated 6.4 miles from Marine Corps Base Quantico, the hotel features complimentary wired and wireless internet access and 32-inch TVs with cable programming. On-site amenities include an outdoor pool, 24-hour fitness center and the Quantico Bar and Grill.
IRVING, TEXAS — New York City-based Extell Development Co. has acquired Four Seasons Resort & Club Dallas, a 405-room hotel located within Irving’s Las Colinas district, for $235 million. The sale price equates to about $580,000 per unit. The property offers access to a golf course and has several onsite bars and restaurants. According to hotel-online.com, the seller was Blackstone, which acquired the property from CW Capital Asset Management in 2014 for $150 million.
OMAHA, NEB. — Petros PACE Finance LLC has provided a $2.3 million Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE) loan for energy efficiency upgrades to a 30-year-old hotel undergoing redevelopment in Omaha. The efficiency project is part of the conversion of the former University Inn Midtown Crossing into a Four Points by Sheraton hotel. Lucky Omaha Hospitality LLC, the borrower, will utilize the loan to implement energy efficiency across lighting, elevators, restaurant and bar equipment and a building automation system. Plans also call for low-flow plumbing in the guest rooms. The upgrades are expected to generate $2.3 million in energy savings over the 20-year loan. Completion is slated by the end of this year.
GULF SHORES, ALA. — Hilton Hotels & Resorts has rebuilt and reopened The Lodge at Gulf State Park, A Hilton Hotel, located at 21196 E. Beach Blvd. in Gulf Shores, after the property was irreparably damaged by Hurricane Ivan. Originally established in 1974, the newly rebuilt hotel features 350 rooms with views of the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Shelby. Designed by LakeFlato and Rabun Architects, the new hotel features more than 40,000 square feet of flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space, including The Gulfview Ballroom that can accommodate indoor events up to 1,000 guests. On-site restaurant options include Foodcraft, Perch, Roasted Oak Coffee & Wine Bar and Dragon Pool Bar & Grill. Guests will also have direct access to more than 6,150 acres of trails and activities within Gulf State Park. Valor Hospitality Partners manages the property. Sasaki Associates provided native landscape design, while Dallas-based Looney & Associates served as interior designer for the redevelopment.