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Showing posts with label hotel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hotel. Show all posts

Monday, November 8, 2010

23rd Hunter Hotel Investment Conference Scheduled for March 6-8, 2011, in Atlanta

Keynote Speakers Are Jim Abrahamson and Jack DeBoer

Officials of the Hunter Hotel Investment Conference, one of the four major national annual hotel investment conferences, today announced that the 23rd annual event will be held March 6-8, 2011, at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Two industry luminaries, Jim Abrahamson, president of Americas, Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG), and Jack DeBoer, founder and chairman, Value Place, will headline the event as keynote speakers.

“We have a strong tradition of bringing in the top industry leaders to share successful hospitality business practices as keynote speakers,” said Bob Hunter, CEO of Hunter Realty and conference co-chair. “Jim has played a leadership role in the development of a number of the world’s leading brands, while Jack is the acknowledged ‘father’ of the extended-stay concept. We look forward to hearing their unique insights into the industry and its future outlook.

“The conference has gained a strong reputation as an important networking and education event over the last 22 years,” Hunter added. “This conference focuses on the needs of hotel owners, who make up a large number of our total attendees. Proceeds from the event support special scholarships at Georgia State University’s Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality.”

Speaker Profiles:

· Jim Abrahamson—As president of the Americas, Abrahamson oversees management, growth and profitability of IHG’s portfolio of more than 3,400 hotels and resorts in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America. Also, he has worked with The Marcus Corporation as president, limited-service lodging; Hilton Hotels Corporation as senior vice president, franchising; and Global Hyatt Corporation as head of development, the Americas.

· Jack DeBoer—Creating the extended-stay concept with the first Residence Inn, he expanded the business to 100 hotels, which were sold to Marriott International, Inc. He then co-founded the Summerfield Hotel Corporation, now owned by Global Hyatt Corporation. He later launched Candlewood Hotel Corporation and sold it to IHG after establishing 130 properties. Most recently, DeBoer established the extended-stay hotel chain Value Place which currently has a portfolio of 160 locations.

For more information on the program and to register, please visit the conference website at www.HunterConference.com, or contact Bob Hunter or Nancy Petenbrink, Conference Director, at 770-916-0300 or by email at nancy.petenbrink@hunterhotels.net. The conference headquarters are located at 300 Galleria Parkway, S-620, Atlanta, Ga. 30339.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Al Calhoun Rejoins Hodges Ward Elliott as Senior Managing Director, Select Service Division

Hodges Ward Elliott, Inc. (HWE), the nation’s premier hotel brokerage and investment banking firm, today announced that Al Calhoun has rejoined the firm as senior managing director, select service division.

“Our relationship with Al goes back nearly two decades, and it is a delight to welcome him back to our firm after a nine-year sabbatical,” said Mark Elliott, principal of Hodges Ward Elliott. “His experience in the select service segment is unparalleled, and he adds tremendous depth to our 10-person select service team. Combined with our full-service and Europe divisions, we now have the deepest and most experienced hotel transaction team in the industry.”

In his new role, he will be responsible for leading and growing HWE’s select service division, including brokerage, investment and advisory services. He will work closely with Anthony Falor, who will remain managing director of the select service division. HWE has closed more than $2 billion in select service transactions in the past five years. Select service currently represents approximately 30 percent of HWE’s transaction volume.

Calhoun has nearly 30 years experience in the hotel industry. He began his career in hotel development and held corporate positions with both Marriott International, Inc. and Choice Hotels International. He joined HWE in 1991 as a select service hotel specialist and left to form Thompson Calhoun Fair in 2000, which was subsequently acquired by Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels in 2005.

An expert in both single asset and portfolio transactions and advisement, Calhoun has personally been involved in more than 500 hotel transactions. In his career, he has represented the vast majority of major hotel ownership groups in their select service hotel transactions.

“Select service transactions, especially those under $10 million, are getting done and financing is available,” Calhoun said. “However, transactions have to be more solidly structured, and pre-existing relationships with lenders are critical. HWE has long-standing relationships with everyone from local and regional banks to institutional lenders, which greatly assists us in completing transactions.

“We expect to see a steady rise in select service transactions over the next 12 to 36 months with portfolios coming to market at a much faster pace than in the past two years,” he noted. “Based on previous cycle experience and the amount of valuation inquiries we are receiving, deal flow is beginning to gain momentum.”

Calhoun is a member of the CCIM Institute and the American Hotel and Lodging Association. He is a graduate of Georgia State University and has published post graduate research.

Hodges Ward Elliott is world renowned for representing hotel asset and real estate investment opportunities spanning all categories and markets. HWE is consistently ranked the leading hotel brokerage and investment firm with greater than 30 percent market share of hotel transactions, according to independent outside sources. Since 1990, HWE has structured the sale of more than 1,500 hotels, totaling over 300,000 rooms and $33 billion of lodging transactions.
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Monday, August 3, 2009

Lodgian Provides Further Update on Remaining Maturing Mortgage Debt

Obtains 60-day extension on mortgage pool, continues negotiations for longer-term solution

Lodgian, Inc. (NYSE Alternext US:LGN), one of the nation’s largest independent hotel owners and operators, today announced that the company has obtained a further extension of the maturity date for the Merrill Lynch Fixed Rate Pool #3 (“Pool #3”). As of July 1, 2009, the principal amount of Pool #3 was $45.7 million. The company and the special servicer for Pool #3 have entered into an extension agreement to extend the maturity date of this indebtedness until October 1, 2009. Given the extension of the maturity date, the company is not in default of the original loan. The 60-day extension is intended to provide the parties an opportunity to reach an agreement on a longer-term maturity extension.

The company and the special servicer are currently negotiating a longer-term maturity extension for Pool #3; however, the company can provide no assurances that the parties will reach such an agreement. In the event that the company is unable to achieve a long-term extension of Pool #3, the company expects that anticipated cash flow from the hotels securing
Pool #3 may not be sufficient to meet the related debt service obligations and it may be necessary to transfer the properties securing this indebtedness to the lender in satisfaction of the company’s obligations.

A schedule indicating the principal balance of Pool #3, as of July 1, 2009, as well as a listing of the hotels that serve as collateral under Pool #3, is attached as an exhibit to this press release.

About Lodgian
Lodgian is one of the nation’s largest independent hotel owners and operators. The company currently owns and/or manages a portfolio of 38 hotels with 7,078 rooms located in 22 states. Of the company’s 38-hotel portfolio, 18 are InterContinental Hotels Group brands (Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Select and Holiday Inn Express), 12 are Marriott brands (Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott and Fairfield Inn by Marriott), two are Hilton brands, and five are affiliated with other nationally recognized franchisors including Starwood, Wyndham and Carlson. One hotel is an independent, unbranded property, which is currently closed and held for sale. For more information about Lodgian, visit the company's website: www.lodgian.com.
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