Top Stories

Lennar Urban Wins Approval for Phase I of $3B Candlestick Point Development in San Francisco

by Christina Cannon March 24, 2016

SAN FRANCISCO — Lennar Urban has won approval for its updated development plans for Candlestick Point, a massive mixed-use development planned for the site of Candlestick Park, former home of the San Francisco 49ers football team. San Francisco’s Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure and the San Francisco Planning Commission unanimously approved the amended plans for the first phase of the development. Phase I is expected to cost between $2 billion and $3 billion, according to the San Francisco Business Times. The first phase of Candlestick Point includes: 16 city blocks anchored by an outdoor urban outlet retail district. 2,214 housing units, including the transformation and redevelopment of the 256-unit Alice Griffith public housing complex into a mixed-income housing development. The multifamily complex will be completely reconstructed without dislocating current residents. More than 1 million square feet of commercial space including a hotel, offices, a regional outlet shopping center and neighborhood retail, which will feature locally owned shops, a grocery store, restaurants and entertainment. A film and arts center. Sites for community services, including a new community garden for residents of Alice Griffith. Nine acres of parks and open space. Payments to the state for improvements, operations and maintenance at …

March 24, 2016

Features Georgia Hospitality Southeast Top Stories

Hospitality Experts Offer Five Tips for Running a Successful Full-Service Hotel

by Christina Cannon March 24, 2016

ATLANTA — When it comes to successfully operating a full-service hotel there is no silver bullet for achieving success, but there are some smart steps owners and operators should take, say industry experts who spoke at the 28th annual Hunter Hotel Conference. The three-day event at the Marriott Marquis drew 1,300 attendees, up 8 percent from a year ago, according to conference organizers. In a panel titled “The Evolution of Full-Service Hotels,” professionals from Horwath HTL, GF Management, Davidson Hotels and Resorts, Legacy Ventures and Hyatt Hotel Corp. emphasized time and again that full-service hotels are in no way dying. They are simply evolving, and owners and operators must also evolve if they have hopes of being successful. “It’s still a street corner business,” said Thom Geshay, senior vice president of business development for Davidson Hotels and Resorts. “You have to look at the market you’re in, you have to define and profile your customer and give them what they need.” 1. Get Creative in Controlling Costs — Full-service hotels have a slew of amenities, and each amenity presents a new place to create revenues. “Our job is to find something that is broken or not maximized in some way …

March 24, 2016

Florida Mixed-Use Multifamily Office Retail Southeast Top Stories

Magic Development Unveils Plans for $3.3B Mixed-Use Project Near Orlando

by Haisten Willis March 23, 2016

KISSIMMEE, FLA. — Magic Development LLC has revealed plans for Magic Place, an 87-acre, $3.3 billion mixed-use development near Walt Disney World Resort in the Orlando suburb of Kissimmee. Rodrigo Cunha and Luis Claudio Sinelli are co-CEOs of Magic Development LCC, which is developing several other projects in Florida. Italian designer Paolo Pininfarina designed the project. At full build-out, the project will include five towers, shops, restaurants and resort amenities. The multifamily portion will be a mix of residential, condo and fractional units as well as nightly rental hotel rooms. Construction will begin on the first phase in July, according to the Orlando Business Journal. Phase I will include a 25-story, 251-unit resort tower, 40,000 square feet of retail and a 20,000-square-foot office building on U.S. Highway 192. Plans call for the finished development to include 250,000 square feet of retail and 1,850 residential units. The residential portion has a construction value of around $1.7 billion, according to the Business Journal. James Mincy, the project’s manager, says the company plans to build one building every four or five years, making a total construction time of between 20 and 25 years. — Haisten Willis

March 23, 2016

Illinois Midwest New York Northeast Top Stories

First Niagara, KeyCorp Shareholders Approve $3.5B Merger

by Jeff Shaw March 23, 2016

BUFFALO, N.Y. AND CLEVELAND — Shareholders of First Niagara Financial Group (NASDAQ: FNFG) and KeyCorp (NYSE: KEY) have overwhelmingly approved the proposed merger between the two financial giants. The votes were held today at special meetings in each of the companies’ headquarters — Buffalo for First Niagara and Cleveland for KeyCorp. Over 90 percent of shareholders who voted approved of the merger. Shareholders who did not participate counted as “no” votes, but even with those accounted for, approximately 75 percent voted in favor of the merger, according to The Buffalo News. The deal totals $3.5 billion and is structured as KeyCorp acquiring First Niagara, The News reported. “I would like to thank our shareholders for their support and their vote of confidence,” says Beth Mooney, chairman and CEO of KeyCorp. “KeyBank and First Niagara are indeed better together — a powerful combination that will bring a new level of capabilities and expertise to our clients, new opportunities for our employees, and even greater investment in our communities.” KeyCorp and First Niagara entered into a merger agreement on Oct. 30, 2015. The merger is still subject to regulatory approvals. Closing is expected during the third quarter of this year. KeyCorp is …

March 23, 2016

Multifamily Top Stories

Owens Realty Sells Treasures on the Bay Multifamily Complex for $82M

by Katie Sloan March 22, 2016

NORTH BAY VILLAGE, FLA. — Owens Realty Mortgage Inc. (NYSE: ORM) has agreed to sell Treasures on the Bay, a multifamily community located in North Bay Village, to an undisclosed buyer for $82 million. Owens Realty Mortgage owns an 81 percent interest in the property, with the company’s manager, Owens Financial Group Inc., owning the remaining 19 percent. The property, located approximately 10 miles away from Miami in North Bay Village, is comprised of 169 condominium units and 160 apartment units. The community offers one-, two- and three-bedroom units ranging from 925 to 1,289 square feet. Unit amenities include ceramic tile kitchens and baths, European-style cabinetry, hurricane-resistant windows and sliding glass doors, marble counter-tops and floor-to-ceiling tinted glass. Community amenities include a 24-hour fitness center, bayfront boardwalk, controlled access, surface parking, two bayfront pools and wireless hot spots. “We are very pleased to put this property into contract,” says Bryan Draper, CEO of Owens Realty. “We recently completed substantial improvements to this property, further enhancing the company’s book value, and expect this sale will unlock significant embedded equity and provide cash for continued expansion of our lending operations and reduce our overall levels of debt.” A $21.3 million loan was …

March 22, 2016

Sonesta-Hilton-Head-Sims-Patrick-Studio-Interior-Design

Features Hospitality Southeast Feature Archive Top Stories

Coordination Between Hotel Renovation Team Members Is Key to Achieving ‘Wow’ Factor

by Haisten Willis March 22, 2016

ATLANTA — There are many moving parts when refreshing or renovating a hotel property, and the key is engaging everyone involved early and often. This was the message delivered on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, by a panel of hospitality experts during the 28th annual Hunter Hotel Conference held at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Titled “Design to Inspire: Creating the Unexpected,” the breakout session featured a four-member panel that included Libby Patrick, president of Atlanta-based interior design firm Sims Patrick Studio; Bethany Warner, director of design management for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide; Sam Cicero Jr., president of Plainfield, Ill.-based Cicero’s Development Corp., a general contractor specializing in commercial renovation; and Alan Benjamin, president of Boulder, Colo.-based Benjamin West, a furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E) purchasing firm. Johnathan Nehmer, chairman and founder of Rockville, Md.-based architecture firm Jonathan Nehmer + Associates, served as moderator. The session was the first design-focused panel in the conference’s history. “How do we create the unexpected in design?” asked Nehmer. “How do we put that ‘wow’ factor out there and what role does design play in the hospitality experience? What we’re going to talk about today is how designers and contractors and purchasing agents do that.” …

March 22, 2016

Hospitality Top Stories

Marriott Tops Anbang Bid to Acquire Starwood, Raising Offer to $13.6B

by Nellie Day March 21, 2016

STAMFORD, CONN. — Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) has increased its bid to acquire Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide (NYSE: HOT) to $13.6 billion. Marriott had previously offered $12.2 billion to acquire the hospitality company, which owns the Westin, St. Regis, Sheraton and W hotel brands, before being outbid by Beijing-based Anbang Insurance Group at $13.2 billion. The new Marriott offer values Starwood at $79.53 per share, topping Anbang’s offer of $78 per share. Marriott’s initial offer in November would’ve given shareholders 0.92 share of Marriott stock and $2 cash for each share of Starwood they own. The new offer will give shareholders less Marriott stock — 0.8 share — but considerably more cash at $21 per share, according to The New York Times. Under the new agreement, the “break-up fee” — what Starwood will have to pay Marriott if it backs out of the deal — has been increased from $400 million to $450 million. On a conference call this morning, Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson noted that Anbang could still make another offer to disrupt the deal, according to Hotel News Now. The Starwood and Marriott shareholders are both scheduled to vote April 8 on which proposal to accept. “We are pleased that …

March 21, 2016

Features Heartland Feature Archive Loans Top Stories Uncategorized

Chicago Mortgage Banker NorthPoint Capital Leverages Strengths to Enhance Market Penetration

by Christina Cannon March 21, 2016

When CEO Keith Volgman made the decision a year ago to expand his loan origination business, NorthPoint Capital, the Chicago-based mortgage banking operation began the search for the ideal candidate to spearhead that effort. Volgman’s objective was to leverage NorthPoint Capital’s highly competitive, long-term correspondent lending relationships to benefit a larger number of Midwest property owners. Charles Krawitz, who has more than 25 years of experience in commercial real estate finance, turned out to be the perfect fit. After all, Krawitz had a proven track record of boosting deal volume based on jobs he previously held at KeyBank, LaSalle Bank and elsewhere. Last May, Krawitz officially became COO of a new entity, NorthPoint Capital Funding. Operating from the company’s office in downtown Chicago, Krawitz oversees the expansion and training of the loan origination staff. His charge is to grow the scope and scale of the firm’s lending relationships across the commercial and multifamily landscape. While there is no shortage of lenders chasing product in today’s market, money doesn’t flow evenly, observes Krawitz. “It doesn’t necessarily flow into neighborhood assets the way it flows into the institutional space. It doesn’t flow into the rural markets the way it flows into the …

March 21, 2016

Connecticut Hospitality Northeast Top Stories

Starwood Hotels Considers Terminating Merger with Marriott in Favor of $13.2B Proposal from Anbang

by Christina Cannon March 18, 2016

STAMFORD, CONN. — Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. is considering terminating its planned acquisition by Marriott in light of a new offer from a Chinese-led joint venture. Beijing-based Anbang Insurance Group is leading the new offer of $13.2 billion, which includes investment from J.C. Flowers & Co. and Primavera Capital Limited. The joint venture is collectively known as Anbang Consortium. Starwood, which is based in Stamford, said that the Anbang bid is a superior proposal to the price tag that Marriott agreed to pay in November. Marriott’s cash-and-stock proposal was valued at $68.06 per share, or $13.06 billion as of Thursday’s closing price, according to The Wall Street Journal. Anbang Consortium would pay $78 per share, an increase from the $76 per share proposal it made on March 10. Click here to read the details on the initial Marriott offer. Marriott has until March 28 to make a counter offer to Starwood, and has stated that it “continues to believe that a combination of Marriott and Starwood is the best course for both companies and offers the best value to Starwood shareholders.” Under the terms of the original merger agreement, Starwood, which owns the Westin, St. Regis, Sheraton and W hotel …

March 18, 2016

California Office Top Stories Western

Google to Buy Eight Silicon Valley Office Buildings from NetApp for $250M

by John Nelson March 17, 2016

SUNNYVALE, CALIF. — Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has entered into a purchase agreement to buy eight office buildings in Silicon Valley from NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP) for $250 million, according to a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 9. The tech companies amended the filing on March 11. NetApp plans to lease back an unspecified portion of the office footprint from Google, according to the filing. The office properties, located in Sunnyvale in Santa Clara County, include the following: • 1299 Orleans Drive (46,170 square feet) • 1277 Orleans Drive (42,624 square feet) • 1260 Crossman Ave. (95,464 square feet) • 1240 Crossman Ave. (125,648 square feet) • 549 Baltic Way (110,160 square feet) • 641 Baltic Way (88,320 square feet) • 611 Baltic Way (43,372 square feet) • 633 Caribbean Drive (43,372 square feet) According to the filing, the sale is expected to close prior to April 12, 2016, and in no circumstance later than April 22. NetApp, a data storage management provider and servicer, recently announced it would cut roughly 12 percent of its workforce, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal. NetApp currently has more than 12,000 employees in more than 150 offices worldwide. …

March 17, 2016

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