Mergers & Acquisitions

🏨 JLL Capital Markets secured acquisition financing for the Hyatt Regency Savannah, a 351-room hotel, in Savannah's Historic District. The borrower, a joint venture of Certares Real Estate Management and Clearview Hotel Capital, obtained a floating-rate loan from Goldman Sachs Alternatives. The hotel, opened in 1981, features 31 suites, 40,564 sq. ft. of event space, and a 300-space parking facility. Certares and Clearview's expertise was highlighted in securing this deal.

🍺 Brakspear, a pub operator based in Henley, reported a 16% increase in turnover, reaching £47.9m for 2025. EBITDA grew by 6% to £11.4m. The company invested £6.5m, a 20% increase from 2024, and acquired two pubs in Cirencester and Moreton-in-Marsh, adding 95 rooms. Honeycomb Houses saw a 23% turnover rise. New banking facilities of £25m were established for expansion. Cash reserves ended at £7.6m.

💸 PPHE Hotel Group reported a 6.3% increase in EBITDA to £48.4m for H1 2026, with RevPAR rising by 3.9% to £113.50. Average room rates grew by 4.2% to £157.30. The group acquired Park Plaza London Waterloo for £147.9m, funded by a £136.5m loan. A €27.6m refinancing agreement for art’otel Rome was secured, and a New York site sold for $33.5m. EBITDA margin improved by 40 basis points to 23.1%.

🏨 JLL arranged a $57 million refinance for the Sofitel Philadelphia at Rittenhouse Square, a 306-room hotel in Philadelphia. The 13-story hotel, originally built in 1966, was converted by Accor in 2000. The property features 16,000 sq ft of event space, with $26 million invested since 2011. Recent upgrades include meeting spaces (April 2023) and lobby renovations (May 2024). Located near key landmarks and universities, it is eight miles from Philadelphia International Airport.

🏨 The Gunter Hotel in San Antonio, Texas, has joined Marriott's LUMINOUS Program, a selective initiative for luxury travelers. This historic hotel, near the River Walk and Majestic Theatre, first opened in 1909. Owner Jiwon Choi of Axle Capital sees this as a milestone, reinforcing their dedication to exceptional hospitality. LUMINOUS connects high-value travelers with Marriott’s premium properties, offering exclusive amenities and personalized service. This program is accessible through authorized luxury travel advisors only.

🏨 Recent boutique hotel deals involve brands like Graduate, NoMad, Standard, Ace, and citizenM separating brand from real estate. Founders sell due to high OTA commissions (15–25%) versus lower costs from chains like Marriott and Hilton. Sharan Pasricha's ventures highlight the dilemma: scale with outside capital or stay independent. Deals include Hilton-Graduate, Hyatt-Standard International, and Marriott-citizenM. Survivors like Firmdale and Peninsula succeed with patient capital and real estate. Ennismore eyes a New York listing valued at $3.4B–$5.8B.

🏨 IHCL plans to merge with Oriental Hotels, already owning 37.1% of it. Oriental Hotels has properties in Chennai, Kochi, Madurai, Mangalore, Coimbatore, and Coonoor, including Taj Coromandel and Taj Fisherman’s Cove. This merger will consolidate assets and financials under IHCL, streamlining operations.

🏨 Hotelier Michael Holland has listed the Fitzwilliam Hotel Belfast for £32 million. Acquired in 2015 for €23 million (£19.6 million), the hotel features 146 rooms and amenities like an award-winning bar. Planning approval for 52 new rooms was obtained in June 2023. Belfast saw 5.1 million visitors in 2025, with tourism spending increasing by 9% to £1.2 billion. Investors are interested given Belfast's growing hospitality sector, despite the competitive market with new entrants like The Bedford.

🏨 Highline Hospitality Partners acquired AC Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk and Element San Antonio Riverwalk, marking their 20th and 21st acquisitions and 4th and 5th of this year. The hotels were converted from an office building (1983) between 2019-2022. AC Hotel has 181 guestrooms; Element has 162 extended-stay rooms. The property includes a rooftop bar, meeting spaces, and retail. HHP manages 21 hotels with over 5,500 rooms and $1.7 billion in assets, plus four third-party hotels.

🏨 IHCL to merge with Oriental Hotels Limited (OHL) through a Scheme of Arrangement. Merger supports IHCL's Accelerate 2030 strategy, enhancing asset value and simplifying holding structures. OHL's portfolio: 7 hotels, 825 rooms, including Taj Coromandel, Chennai, and Taj Malabar Resort, Cochin. Share exchange ratio is 25 IHCL shares for 117 OHL shares, targeted completion by FY2028. IHCL operates 360 hotels, 123 in development, across 13 countries.