WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE: PEB) has closed on the sale of Hotel Palomar Washington DC, a 335-room hotel located at 2121 P St. N.W. in Washington, D.C.’s Dupont Circle neighborhood. An undisclosed buyer purchased the hotel for $141.5 million. According to Pebblebrook, the sales price reflects a cap rate of 5.9 percent based on the hotel’s 2018 net operating income. The Bethesda, Md.-based hotel REIT will use proceeds from the sale for general business purposes, which may include reducing the company’s outstanding debt. San Francisco-based Kimpton manages Hotel Palomar, which features an outdoor pool and sundeck, spa services, 24-hour fitness center, business center, bike sharing services and Urbana, an onsite Italian restaurant. Pebblebrook has been on a selling spree for its Washington, D.C., hotels. Last week, the company sold The Liaison Capitol Hill, a 343-room hotel, to REIT Bldg Management Co. Inc. for $111 million. According to Washington Business Journal, Pebblebrook is currently marketing three Kimpton-managed hotels it owns near Dupont Circle. In an investor presentation posted yesterday, Pebblebrook disclosed that its Washington, D.C., hotels comprise 7 percent of the company’s 2018 EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization). Pebblebrook announced last year its intent to …
MIAMI BEACH, FLA. — Host Hotels & Resorts Inc. (NYSE: HST) has purchased 1 Hotel South Beach, a 429-room hotel and resort in Miami’s South Beach neighborhood. A partnership between Starwood Capital Group and LeFrak sold the property for $610 million, or a little over $1.4 million per room. Hodges Ward Elliot represented Starwood Capital and LeFrak in the sale. The property features 600 linear feet of ocean frontage and has direct beach access, as well as four pools with elevated decks that provide ocean views. SH Hotels & Resorts, an affiliate of Starwood Capital, will continue to operate and manage the 1.1 million-square-foot property as 1 Hotel South Beach. “We are excited about the opportunity to acquire one of the absolute best luxury hotels in the country and partner with SH Hotels & Resorts as our operator,” says James Risoleo, president and CEO of HST. “1 Hotels is redefining the luxury hotel industry and we could not be more proud to own its flagship hotel. We look forward to being a big part of the brand’s future growth.” Starwood Capital acquired the 1970s-era beachfront hotel in 2012 and executed a $300 million overhaul, including adding 155 condominiums and updating the …
NEW YORK CITY — The New York City condo market will likely take the biggest hit after Amazon announced Thursday that it would not move forward with plans to build a second headquarters in the city, according to one REIT analyst. The online retail giant cited a lack of support from state and local elected officials as its reason for pulling out of a massive headquarters plan in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens. “While polls show that 70 percent of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City,” wrote Amazon in a blog post. Amazon does not intend to reopen the HQ2 search at this time. The company will proceed with its plans for a headquarters in Northern Virginia and operations hub in Nashville. James Sullivan, managing director of equity research for BTIG, says that there are a lot of residential units in the development pipeline in the Long Island City market. “The …
MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. — Google (Nasdaq: GOOGL) has announced plans for more than $13 billion in investments during 2019 in data centers and offices across the United States, with major expansions in 14 states. According to a blog post written by Google CEO Sundar Pichai, this will mark the second year in a row that Google will grow faster outside the Bay Area than within it. With the expansions, Mountain View-based Google expects to hire tens of thousands of employees across the country, including 10,000 construction jobs in Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Texas, South Carolina and Virginia. The tech-giant will have a presence in 24 states, as well as data centers in 13 communities. “This growth will allow us to invest in the communities where we operate, while we improve the products and services that help billions of people and businesses globally,” Pichai said in the blog post. “Our new data center investments, in particular, will enhance our ability to provide the fastest and most reliable services for all our users and customers.” Data centers In the Western States, south Nevada is set to get a new data center. In the Midwest, data centers will pop up in Ohio, Nebraska and …
Every year brings a few question marks in terms of what’s ahead. Some years have more unknowns than others; many agree 2019 is one of those years. From politics to the stock market to trade tensions, this year has its share of variables on top of traditional uncertainties, such as natural disasters. Add lots of capital chasing fewer deals, an affordability imbalance, and a disconnect between buyers and sellers, and those question marks continue to multiply. Lenders have generally remained disciplined and diligent in the current market, estimating their level of risk and confidence as best they can. While they don’t have a crystal ball any more than the rest of us do, many finance professionals believe flexibility may be the key to thriving in 2019. “Most lenders, particularly Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, have adapted to a more fluid financial climate,” states Marcus & Millichap’s 2019 Multifamily North American Investment Forecast. “Lenders remain cautious, adopting tighter underwriting standards but aggressively competing to place capital into apartment assets.” As with many temporary blips on the horizon, the report recommends seeing the forest as a whole, rather than getting distracted by a few worrisome-looking trees. “Strong demand drivers supporting long-term yield …
SAN DIEGO — Despite a strong U.S. job market, GDP growth will slow now that the tailwind from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has largely dissipated, predicts Michael Fratantoni, chief economist with the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). More specifically, Fratantoni is forecasting the nation’s economy to grow 2 percent in 2019, down from 3.1 percent in 2018. Passage of the sweeping tax bill in late 2017 and signed into law by President Donald Trump “led to some front-loading of some additional spending and benefits, particularly on the corporate tax side that showed up as this faster growth rate in 2018,” explains Fratantoni. “We also know that the budget agreement that was reached [early last year] really concentrated about $300 billion of spending particularly in 2018, maybe a little bit into 2019.” The comments from the veteran economist came during a special session Sunday on the opening day of the 2019 Commercial Real Estate Finance/Multifamily Housing Convention & Expo at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego. Jaime Woodwell, vice president of commercial/multifamily research for MBA, also provided an update on the state of the commercial/multifamily market during the session. The-four day conference has attracted mortgage bankers from across the country. One …
ATLANTA AND WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — In a blockbuster deal, SunTrust Banks Inc. (NYSE: STI) and BB&T Corp. (NYSE: BBT) have entered into an all-stock merger agreement valued at approximately $66 billion. The marriage of these two iconic financial institutions in the Southeast will create the sixth-largest bank in the United States. Under terms of the agreement, SunTrust investors will receive 1.295 shares of BB&T for each SunTrust share they own. That equates to BB&T agreeing to pay $28.1 billion for SunTrust’s equity as of the closing price on Wednesday, Feb. 6. The combined company will operate under a new name and brand and be headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., while maintaining significant operations and investment in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Atlanta. The entity’s headquarters in Charlotte will also feature an innovation and technology center to aid with the transference of digital information. The deal, which is still subject to shareholder approval and other customary regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. A press release highlighting the agreement says the name of the new entity will be announced prior to the transaction closing. The agreement is being billed by both companies as a “merger of equals.” Shareholders of North …
In 2018, the Detroit real estate market had a banner year for transactions, new developments and big headlines. Chief among these was Ford Motor Co.’s acquisition of the vacant Michigan Central Station, a major media event that attracted attention from all over the world. Other notable news stories predominantly revolved around Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert and his Bedrock Real Estate Services. In 2018 alone, Bedrock delivered the 129-key Shinola Hotel, began construction on the 847,000-square-foot Monroe Blocks and laid the foundation for the 912-foot tall Hudson’s tower. The combined costs of these projects exceed $2 billion. From a brokerage standpoint, it also was a successful year. Q10|Lutz Financial Services, a Birmingham-based commercial mortgage banking firm, had its best year on record. Similarly, Farmington Hills-based Friedman Real Estate’s investment sales division had transaction volume of a half-billion dollars, according to the firm’s manager of opportunities, Jared Friedman. Some highlights and market insights into the Great Lakes State’s commercial real estate market are below. Multifamily redevelopment Downtown Detroit has received most of the notable press this cycle, in particular for the flock of millennials and young professionals who up-ended trends and brought their skinny jeans and electric scooter habits to …
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. — Newport Beach, Calif.-based BKM Capital Partners, through its BKM Industrial Value Fund II, has acquired three industrial portfolios for a combined consideration of $138.7 million. The company purchased a two-property portfolio consisting of four buildings totaling 99,187 square feet in metro San Diego. 3G Properties sold the properties for $16.6 million. At the time of sale, the property was 96 percent occupied with rents that range from 20 percent to 39 percent below market rate. The properties include Del Abeto Commerce Center, located at 6325 and 6354 Corte del Abeto in Carlsbad, Calif.; and Waples Industrial Centre, located at 9540 and 9550 Waples St. in Sorrento Mesa, Calif. Mark Avilla at Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, while BKM was self-represented in the deal. BKM also acquired South Bay Portfolio, a five-building light industrial portfolio in Fremont, Calif., from Stockbridge for $49 million. Located at 48430-48490 Lakeview Blvd. and 48500-48560, 48400, 47745-47787 and 47703-47737 Fremont Blvd., the portfolio totals 221,651 square feet. At the time of sale, the portfolio was 94 percent occupied by a diverse range of 13 tenants with unit sizes ranging from 4,800 square feet to 42,500 square feet. Eastdil Secured represented the seller, …
FORT WORTH, TEXAS — KRS Realty Advisors has begun a 12,000-square-foot retail and office renovation project within Fort Worth’s historic stockyards district. The first building features 7,000 square feet of divisible space and can accommodate a drive-thru or patio seating for a restaurant user. The second building will offer 4,970 square feet in an open concept complete with mezzanine space and ample parking. Stream Realty Partners will handle leasing of the project.