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VANCOUVER — American Hotel Income Properties REIT LP, a Vancouver-based company that is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: HOT.UN), has agreed to acquire a portfolio of nine branded, select-service hotels in the Midwest for an aggregate purchase price of USD$53.5 million. The properties are located in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma and total 632 guestrooms. The average age of the portfolio is approximately five years. American Hotel Income Properties’ (AHIP) portfolio comprises seven Holiday Inn Express properties, including a 69-room hotel in Bethany, Okla.; a 62-room hotel in Chickasha, Okla.; an 87-room hotel in Dubuque, Iowa; a 68-room hotel in Emporia, Kan.; a 69-room hotel in Jacksonville, Ill.; a 69-room hotel in Mattoon, Ill.; and a 68-room hotel in Nevada, Mo. The remaining hotels include a 63-room Hampton Inn in Chickasha, Okla., and a 77-room Country Inn and Suites in Norman, Okla. “This acquisition diversifies our portfolio into new U.S. markets coupled with the introduction of the Holiday Inn Express brand to the AHIP portfolio,” says Rob O’Neill, CEO of AHIP. “It is one of the fastest growing brands in the industry, opening an average of two hotels a week.” The portfolio will require brand-mandated property …

NASHVILLE, TENN. AND GLASTONBURY, CONN. — Prudential Real Estate Investors (PREI) has acquired three assisted living and memory care communities in Tennessee and Connecticut for $110 million. Hearth Management, which previously owned the property through a joint venture partnership, has been retained by PREI as the property manager. The acquisition is the first investment for Senior Housing Partners (SHP) V, PREI’s newly launched fund focusing on seniors housing properties. PREI is the real estate investment and advisory business of Prudential Financial Inc. (NYSE: PRU). The three Class A communities, which comprise 341,000 square feet across 391 units of recently constructed communities for seniors, include: The Hearth at Hendersonville located in Hendersonville, Tenn., northeast of Nashville, which opened in April 2012 and has 130 units; The Hearth at Franklin located in Franklin, Tenn., southwest of Nashville, which opened in October 2014 and has 126 units; The Hearth at Glastonbury located in Glastonbury, Conn., southeast of Hartford, which opened in September 2014 and has 135 units. “We are pleased to add the Hearth Portfolio, a high-quality seniors housing portfolio with strong income potential, as the first investment for our SHP V portfolio,” says Noah Levy, who heads PREI’s senior housing business. “We …

NEW YORK — A joint venture partnership between NorthStar Healthcare Income Inc. and NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. (NYSE: NRF) has acquired an $875 million portfolio of independent living facilities, following an SEC filing reported in April. NorthStar Healthcare and NorthStar Realty are both real estate investment trusts (REITs) externally managed by NorthStar Asset Management Group Inc. (NYSE: NSAM), a New York-based asset management firm focused on managing real estate and other investment platforms. The portfolio is comprised of 32 independent living communities spanning 3,983 units and is 100 percent private pay. The communities are located in 12 states, with the largest concentration of facilities within California, Texas and Washington. As of March 31, the portfolio’s overall resident occupancy was approximately 93 percent. The joint venture has retained Holiday Retirement Communities, one of the largest operators of independent living communities in North America, to operate the portfolio. Holiday Retirement is the operating name of the portfolio’s seller, Harvest Facility Holdings LP. NorthStar Healthcare acquired a 40 percent interest in the portfolio, and NorthStar Realty acquired the remaining 60 percent interest. “The experience of our healthcare team and its extensive relationships within the healthcare industry have and will continue to play a …

HALLANDALE, FLA. — Beachwalk Resort, a 33-story, $150 million resort developed by Miami-based The Related Group and managed by Gemstone Hotels & Resorts, opened today in South Florida. Beachwalk Resort is comprised of 300 units, 216 of which are two-bedroom suites. Each of the units is a privately owned condominium. The resort’s owners and guests have access to a three-story beach club with pool, lockers, showers, restrooms, an outdoor bar and restaurant with chaise service and beach facilities, all accessible by a complimentary, electric trolley. “Because of their deep understanding of the luxury residential market, The Related Group has developed a vacation resort that speaks to the needs and desires of the modern family,” says Thomas Prins, principal of Gemstone. “With two more similarly positioned resorts coming on line in 2016 and in 2018, I expect that we will dramatically shift the mix of vacation options in this part of South Florida, and perhaps even define a new standard.” Beachwalk features interiors designed by Italian car design firm Pininfarina and contemporary Italian furnishings. The hotel also features original works of art from the collection of Jorge Pérez, patron of the Pérez Art Museum Miami. Other amenities on the property include …

HOUSTON — Moody National REIT I Inc. has signed a contract to acquire a 149-hotel portfolio from a third-party seller for an aggregate purchase price of $1.73 billion, excluding acquisition costs. Multiple media outlets are reporting that Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is selling the portfolio to the non-traded REIT through its Whitehall Street funds. The portfolio includes 14,000 units spread across 32 states, with a large concentration of hotels in California, Arizona, Texas and the Northeast. The majority of the portfolio consists of Marriott and Hilton branded select-service hotels. “This is a great concentration of assets in key states which will benefit from several years remaining in the expanding hotel cycle,” said Brett Moody, Moody National REIT I’s CEO and chairman. “These are well-branded and well-managed assets.” While a bulk of the Marriott and Hilton assets have undergone renovations (Courtyard Refreshing Business, Residence Inn Gatehouse Re-Inventions and Hampton Inn Forever Young Initiative), the REIT plans to accelerate and complete all remaining brand required renovations. The acquisition of the portfolio is subject to substantial conditions to closing, including the REIT’s ability to obtain financing for the acquisition. Houston-based Moody National REIT I owns select-service hotels in major markets across the United …