Articles Posted in Meet the Money®

Published on: July 25, 2023

Hospitality Finance Breakfast Briefing: Bringing down the cost of capital and filling your capital stack

By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group®

25 July 2023

See how JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® can help you.

Earlier this week, the Global Hospitality Group® co-hosted a breakfast briefing in Los Angeles with CREDE, a leading real estate development and project management firm. The program focused on how hotel owners and developers can reduce their cost of capital and costs of construction while filling in gaps in their capital stack through a few critical construction management techniques and exploitation of both traditional and alternative financing options.

Luigi Major, Managing Director of HVS, opened the program with an economic overview, providing an inspiring update on the state of the industry. His data shows depressed urban markets like San Francisco and San Jose are now enjoying double digit RevPAR growth, and some formerly red-hot leisure markets such as Santa Barbara have softened (-24% RevPAR growth). Business travel continues to get stronger and leisure travel is slowing. Cap rates are rising, but only by 40-90 basis points, which is modest compared to the interest rate environment. Luigi believes this is due to hotels coming into favor as a class of real estate. CONTINUE READING →

Published on: May 17, 2023

Meet the Money 2023: General Sessions and Breakouts

By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group®

16 May 2023

See how JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® can help you.

The Meet the Money® 2023 conference wrapped up earlier this month, after 3 days of informative panel discussions exploring opportunities, challenges, and trends in the hospitality industry. The summaries below outline discussions our experts and executives presented to an audience of hotel owners, developers, investors, lenders and operators.

Interested in attending next year? We’ll be hosting the conference in Los Angeles May 6-8, 2024. Join our mailing list for announcements and other information.

General Session #1: C-Suite

Moderator Eric Danziger of Resolute Road Hospitality led a discussion with top executives from Peachtree Hotel Group, Mission Hill Hospitality, The LCP Group, Pacifica Hotels and NewcrestImage.

Panelists began by discussing their approaches to recovery after the pandemic, including allocating more capital to hospitality properties to keep valuations up, planning for a recession, anticipating changing “new norms” in the workplace, finding opportunities in credit, and predicting shifts in markets to new cities. They also explored alternate hospitality experiences such as luxury recreational vehicle sites (like AutoCamp), new options presented by advances in technology, and how their relationship with brands has evolved over the last few years. CONTINUE READING →

Published on: May 12, 2023

Meet the Money 2023 Special Presentation #4: LIIC Top Ten and CNR’s Economic Outlook

By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group®

11 May 2023

See how JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® can help you.

JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® hosted the 30th edition of Meet the Money® national hotel conference on May 1-3, 2023. Alongside investment boot camps and insightful discussion panels, the conference featured several exciting special presentations interpreting the latest data and industry sector highlights. In Part 4 of this blog series, we highlight the special presentations given by Mike Cahill and Paul Single.

Mike Cahill, CEO and Founder of Hospitality Real Estate Advisors (HREC) presented the Lodging Industry Investment Counsel (LIIC) Top Ten on Tuesday, May 2^nd. The Top Ten reveals the challenges and investment trends identified through an annual survey of LIIC members. The survey covers topics such as the impact of inflation, investment performance, and the future of hotel development.

As part of the survey, members were asked to identify the best markets for investment. Many chose cities in Florida, Arizona, Colorado and Massachusetts. CONTINUE READING →

Published on: May 10, 2023

Meet the Money 2023 Special Presentation #3: ISHC’s CapEx Report and the California Hotel Market

By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group®

10 May 2023

See how JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® can help you.

JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® recently hosted the 30th edition of Meet the Money® national hotel conference. Alongside investment boot camps and insightful discussion panels, the conference featured several exciting special presentations interpreting the latest data and industry sector highlights. In Part 3 of this blog series, we highlight the special presentations given by Warren G. Feldman and Alan X. Reay.

Warren G. Feldman, CEO of Nehmer, began the second day of special presentations with a preview of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC)’s CapEx study on the total capital costs of owning hotels. Feldman is an ISHC member who worked on the fourth revision of the ISHC study, which analyzed hotel industry revenue from the year 2000 to the present day, and compared proportions of capital spending and repairs & maintenance for each.

The report broke down capital expenditure as a percentage of total revenue by different hotel segments, including full-service, select-service and extended-stay. CONTINUE READING →

Published on: May 9, 2023

Meet the Money 2023 Special Presentation #2: Lodging Industry Trends and Economic Forecasts

By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group®

9 May 2023

See how JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® can help you.

JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® hosted the 30th edition of Meet the Money® national hotel conference on May 1-3, 2023. Alongside investment boot camps and insightful discussion panels, the conference featured several exciting special presentations interpreting the latest data and industry sector highlights. In Part 2 of this blog series, we highlight the special presentations given by Romy Bhojwani and Ryan Meliker.

Romy Bhojwani, Director, Hospitality Market Analytics of CoStar Group, continued the first day of presentations with an examination of new trends in lodging industry fundamentals. He described strong and growing demand, with some weakness in luxury ADR.

Bhojwani expects a mild recession in the second half of 2023, but predicts that the travel industry will remain largely unaffected due to the prioritization of travel for households and hybrid work driving new sources of hotel demand. CONTINUE READING →

Published on: May 8, 2023

Meet the Money 2023 Special Presentation #1: Lodging Industry SWOT Analysis and Performance Outlook

By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group®

8 May 2023

See how JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® can help you.

JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® recently hosted the 30^th edition of Meet the Money® national hotel conference. Alongside investment boot camps and insightful discussion panels, the conference featured several exciting special presentations interpreting the latest data and industry sector highlights.

Lodging Industry SWOT Analysis

Daniel Lesser, President & CEO of LW Hospitality Advisors, kicked things off with a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of the U.S. lodging industry in 2023.

Some of the notable strengths and opportunities discussed were the strong uptick in demand for travel both domestically and internationally, the availability of refinancing, acquisition and construction financing proceeds, innovative new offerings for consumers and a market prime for investment. Weaknesses and threats included difficulty securing financing, increasing operating costs and supply chain issues, visa backlogs and economic uncertainty.

The slides below demonstrate the promising airline passenger volume which may provide increased opportunities for hotels, and the potential for innovation within the industry. CONTINUE READING →

Published on: May 4, 2023

Hotel Industry Update – latest presentations now available at HotelLawyer.com

By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group®

4 May 2023

See how JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® can help you.

The 30th edition of Meet the Money® 2023 national hotel finance and investment conference was held May 1 – 3, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency LAX. Some very insightful and informative presentations were made at the conference about the national economy, the national and California hotel markets, the latest version of the ISHC’s CapEx study, the Lodging Industry Investment Council’s Top 10, and three different views of the lodging industry’s performance and prospects.

To download these free presentations, please go to www.hotellawyer.com, click on the RESOURCE tab of the website, and then scroll down and select “Hotel Industry Publications.”

Or you can just click here to get the following presentations from the Meet the Money® conference: CONTINUE READING →

Published on: April 13, 2023

Meet the Money Returns on May 1-3, 2023 in Los Angeles: Program Highlights and Registration Details

By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group®

13 April 2023

Meet the Money®, the national hotel finance and investment conference, returns for its 30th year on May 1-3, at the Hyatt Regency LAX. Attendees can look forward to three days of deal-making, networking, and high-level presentations from some of the best-known names in the hospitality industry.

Meet the Money brings speakers, sponsors, and attendees together in an environment big enough to attract industry leaders, but small enough for meaningful and productive in-person meetings, where the focus is business and investment.

“After a few years of upheaval, we see a real chance for companies and executives in all corners of the hospitality industry to reset and look at new players, new capital, and new deals with fresh eyes,” said Jim Butler, conference chairman and Chairman of the JMBM Global Hospitality Group®. “There are plenty of opportunities out there for those who seek them – and Meet the Money is a great place to start looking.”

Program Highlights

This year’s program will open with a pair of two-hour Investment Boot Camp sessions: one focused on finding opportunities and creating value in distressed properties, and a second session for anyone who wants to understand, evaluate and tap into EB-5 financing.

Each day of the conference includes spotlights presentations by industry experts on the state of the hotel industry, both nationally and in California, as well as an important new landmark study on the CapEx needs of hotels. Presenters will include representatives from HVS, LWHA, CoStar, LARC, Gallagher, and Atlas Hospitality. CONTINUE READING →

Published on: April 6, 2023

What opportunities will you find at Meet the Money?

By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group®

5 April 2023

The energy is building as we prepare for Meet the Money’s return in May! Our registrants can look forward to an exciting conference structured around networking, dealmaking, and gathering insight from the industry’s best minds.

There are plenty of opportunities in today’s hospitality industry for those seeking them, and Meet the Money is an ideal place to start looking. Who will you meet, and what possibilities will you find?

Hotel owners, operators, developers, lenders and investors will come together at this year’s conference to build networks, resolve challenges, find financing, and make deals, with access to discussions led by the industry’s top advisors. Take a look at the list below to see who’s coming to Los Angeles in May.

Shouldn’t you be on this list? Register today! You can find out more information on MeetTheMoney.com, or go directly to registration here.

Meet the Money 2023 Participants

CONTINUE READING →

Published on: March 23, 2023

Meet the Money 2023 Program Now Available!

By Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality Group®

23 March 2023

See how JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® can help you.

The Meet the Money program is now available on MeetTheMoney.com – take a look and see who’s speaking and what topics they’ll be exploring.

Meet the Money speakers don’t just come to the conference to share their perspectives; they also come to network with attendees. You can develop relationships, explore partnerships and ask questions one-on-one with our expert panelists and presenters, setting up opportunities that will take you through 2023 and beyond.

This year’s program will include:

Investment boot camps covering distressed properties and the renewed opportunity of EB-5
Special presentations interpreting the latest data and industry sector highlights
Discussion panels featuring insight into acquisitions and repositioning, creative financing, hotel transactions, alternative hospitality, lifestyle and boutique concepts and more

CONTINUE READING →

Jim Butler

Jim Butler is recognized as one of the top hotel lawyers in the world. He devotes 100% of his practice to hospitality, representing hotel owners, developers and lenders. Jim leads JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® — a team of seasoned professionals who have helped clients around the world with more than 4,700 hospitality properties worth more than $125 billion.
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Robert Braun

Robert Braun is a partner in JMBM's Corporate Department and a senior member of JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® -- a team of seasoned professionals who have helped clients around the world with more than 4,700 hospitality properties worth more than $125 billion. Bob represents owners in both transactional and operational issues. He advises clients with respect to business formation, financing, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital financing, joint ventures and strategic partnerships. He has represented hotel owners in the negotiation of several hundred management agreements, as well as spa management and franchise agreements. Bob also advises hotel owners regarding telecommunications, software, internet, e-commerce, data processing and outsourcing agreements. To read Bob's articles, go to www.HotelLawBlog.com and select "Management Agreements." For more information, please contact Bob Braun at 310.785.5331 or rbraun@jmbm.com.

Marta Fernandez

Marta Fernandez is a partner in JMBM's Employment and Labor Department and a senior member of JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® -- a team of seasoned professionals who have helped clients around the world with more than 4,700 hospitality properties worth more than $125 billion. As a management labor lawyer with more than 20 years of experience, Marta specializes in representing hospitality industry clients in all aspects of labor and employment including labor-management relations such as union prevention, collective bargaining for single as well as multi-employer bargaining units, neutrality agreements and defense of unfair labor practice charges before the NLRB. She defends employers in administrative and litigation claims, such as employee claims of sexual harassment and discrimination and counsels clients in preventative strategies such as executive training, arbitration enforcement, and policies and procedures. To read Marta's articles, go to www.HotelLawBlog.com and select "Labor & Employment." For more information, please contact Marta Fernandez at 310.201.3534 or at mfernandez@jmbm.com.

Guy Maisnik

Guy Maisnik is a partner in JMBM's Real Estate Department and a senior member of JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® -- a team of seasoned professionals who have helped clients around the world with more than 4,700 hospitality properties worth more than $125 billion. Guy's deep and broad transactional practice includes complex real estate finance and venture capital transactions, including project finance, commercial finance, leveraged leasing and real estate acquisitions. He assists clients with development, leasing and disposition, loan portfolio acquisitions, loan and debt restructure, workouts and real estate exchanges. Go to www.HotelLawBlog.com for current information in these areas. For more information, please contact Guy Maisnik at 310.201.3588 or mgm@jmbm.com.

David Sudeck

David Sudeck is a Partner in JMBM's Real Estate Department and a senior member of JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® -- a team of seasoned professionals who have helped clients around the world with more than 4,700 hospitality properties worth more than $125 billion. David has significant experience in the vacation ownership arena, focusing on the formation and registration of condominiums, timeshares and fractional interest regimes. He negotiates hotel, spa and restaurant management agreements, and assists client in the development, acquisition, sale and leasing of hotels, golf courses and restaurants. For David's take on current issues in the timeshare arena, go to www.HotelLawBlog.com and click on the topic, "Timeshare." For more information, please contact David Sudeck at 310.201.3518 or dsudeck @jmbm.com.

Robert Kaplan

Robert Kaplan is a partner in JMBM's Bankruptcy, Insolvency and Restructurings Group and a senior member of the Global Hospitality Group® -- a team of seasoned professionals who have helped clients around the world with more than 4,700 hospitality properties worth more than $125 billion. Bob represents lenders, special servicers, hard money lenders, community banks, national banking associations, distressed debt investors, and equity investors, positioning them for the best possible outcome by acting expeditiously to preserve value and increase cash flow. His industry experience and his knowledge of the current capital markets -- where distressed assets often include complex deal structures and securitized loans -- allows him to bring creative and effective strategies to the table. When aggressive litigation is the best strategy, he is a vigorous and effective advocate for his clients. Bob represented the securitized lender in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case filed by the Clift Hotel in San Francisco, and in the subsequent negotiations and successful sale of the loan to a third party. The lender -- acting by and through GMAC Commercial Mortgage Corporation as special servicer -- was the holder of a $60 million loan secured by a Deed of Trust on the Clift Hotel. He has also served as counsel to CapMark, J.E. Robert Company, Inc., AMRESCO Management Inc. and Midland Loan Servicer in their capacity as special servicers on troubled hotel loans in CMBS pools. For more information, contact Robert Kaplan at 415.984.9673 or rkaplan@jmbm.com.

Martin Orlick

Martin Orlick is a partner in JMBM's Real Estate Department and a senior member of JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® -- a team of seasoned professionals who have helped clients around the world with more than 4,700 hospitality properties worth more than $125 billion. Marty specializes in representing hospitality industry clients in Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance and defense. He has represented more than 500 businesses in ADA issues, many of them hotels and restaurants, as well as hotel mixed-use properties. Marty is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL) and a frequent speaker on the ADA and other topics. To read Marty's articles, go to www.HotelLawBlog.comand select "ADA." For more information, please contact Marty Orlick at 415.984.9667 or morlick@jmbm.com.

Scott Brink

Scott Brink is a senior member of JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® and a partner in JMBM's Labor & Employment Law Department. Scott is a management labor lawyer with more than two decades of experience representing employers in all aspects of labor relations and employment law including union prevention, collective bargaining negotiations, defense of unfair labor practice charges before the NLRB, wrongful discharge litigation, individual and class action employment discrimination and wage-and-hour claims, sexual-harassment litigation, arbitrations, personnel policies, California wage and hour law, and employee discipline and discharge. An experienced trial attorney, Scott has litigated a number of high-profile and complex cases involving a wide range of labor and employment law matters. For more information, contact Scott Brink at RSB@jmbm.com or 310.785.5365.

Travis Gemoets

Travis Gemoets is an experienced trial attorney and represents management in all facets of labor and employment law, including wage/hour class actions, claims of discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, trade secrets and unfair competition, union/management relations and workplace violence. He is a member of JMBM's Global Hospitality Group(r), in which capacity he negotiates union contracts and resolves labor disputes throughout the country, defends class action claims, develops strategies for the mass onboarding and separation of employees, and recommends proactive changes to employers' policies and practices in order to minimize potential liability risks. Reach him at 310.785.5387 or tgemoets@jmbm.com.

Mark S. Adams

Mark S. Adams is an experienced trial lawyer and a member of JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® and Chinese Investment Group™. He focuses his practice on business litigation including contracts, corporate and partnership disputes, and hospitality disputes and litigation. On behalf of hotel and resort owners, Mark has successfully litigated the termination of long-term, no-cut, hotel management agreements, franchise agreements, fiduciary duty issues, investor-owner disputes, TOT assessments, and more. He has wide-ranging trial experience in a variety of commercial disputes, including complex multi-party litigation and class actions. He has tried numerous cases in state courts, federal courts, and in domestic and international arbitrations, and is a frequent author and speaker on trial practice. Mark's trial wins have been covered by Forbes, Reuters, and other publications. He has obtained two of California's annual 50 largest jury verdicts in the same year. Mark has taken or defended nearly 1,000 depositions throughout North America, Europe and the Middle East. He has been quoted as an expert on noncompete agreements in the Wall Street Journal. For more information, contact Mark at 949. 623.7230 or markadams@jmbm.com.

Bennett Young

Bennett Young is a partner in JMBM's Bankruptcy, Insolvency and Restructurings Group and a senior member of the Global Hospitality Group® -- a team of seasoned professionals who have helped clients around the world with more than 4,700 hospitality properties worth more than $125 billion. His clients include lenders, financial institutions, secured and unsecured creditors, distressed investment funds, businesses, receivers, special servicers and creditors' committees. Ben represented the owner of a partially completed multi-billion dollar resort property in the restructuring of its finances and has represented lenders to hotels and casinos. For more information, contact Ben Young at 415.984.9626 or byoung@jmbm.com

Sheri Bonstelle

Sheri Bonstelle is a partner in JMBM's Government, Land Use, Environment and Energy Department, and a member of JMBM's Global Hospitality Group®. She represents owners and developers in land use, zoning, environmental, litigation and construction matters. She manages all aspects of the entitlement process, including representing clients before local and state agencies, commissions and councils. Sheri also represents clients in a variety of land use and real estate litigation matters in state and federal courts, including cases arising under CEQA and other environmental laws. Her hotel experience includes handling the adaptive reuse of an historic office building as a luxury boutique hotel. For more information, please contact Sheri Bonstelle at 310.712.6847 or SBonstelle@jmbm.com.

Kevin McDonnell

Kevin McDonnell is a partner in JMBM's Government, Land Use, Environment and Energy Department, and a member of JMBM's Global Hospitality Group®. Kevin represents developers and owners of hotels in a broad range of land use and zoning issues including entitlements, code enforcement, easements and parking requirements, as well as related Parcel Map and Tract Map subdivision issues. His hospitality experience includes hotels, condo-hotels and mixed-use projects. A registered Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer in California, and a former building official for the City of Los Angeles, Kevin brings unique experience and insight in Zoning and Building Code applications and Code Enforcement issues. For more information, please contact Kevin McDonnell at 310.201.3590 or kkm@jmbm.com.

Jamie Ogden

Jamie Ogden is a tax lawyer at Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP. He advises individuals and businesses on a range of tax planning, tax controversy and estate planning matters. Jamie’s experience includes all tax aspects with respect to the hospitality industry, including acquisitions and dispositions (including Section 1031 exchanges), financing and management agreements. He also serves as lead tax counsel on M&A transactions, financing, internal corporate restructurings and deferred compensation matters. Jamie also works frequently with litigators on the tax aspects of litigation, judgments and settlements. Jamie has extensive experience with foreign compliance matters, including each variation of the IRS amnesty programs. In addition to his experience in private practice, Jamie also brings several years of service from both state and federal government. For more information, contact Jamie at JOgden@jmbm.com or 310.201.3510.

Wei Deng

Wei Deng is General Counsel of Bosen American Capital, Inc. where in addition to his legal duties, he is responsible for sourcing, evaluating and proposing United States investment opportunities to the company. Wei was previously with JMBM, where he focused on transactional and litigation matters.

Jay Thompson

Jay Thompson has extensive experience representing private companies, business owners, family offices and investors in mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital transactions and private securities offerings. Jay serves as general counsel to many of his clients, their management, and board of directors, helping to shape and execute their business strategies, facilitate growth and liquidity, as well as to advise them on day-to-day legal and other strategic issues. He is known for his practical approach to business issues. Contact Jay at JThompson@jmbm.com or 949.623.7258

Marianne Martin

Marianne Martin has nearly fifteen years of experience advising clients on a variety of commercial, financing, bankruptcy, restructuring and M&A matters, with a particular niche dealing with distressed and/or turnaround situations. Her clients frequently include private equity and hedge funds, independent sponsors, family offices, public and private corporations, financial institutions and banks, healthcare-related companies, municipalities and venture capital funds. She has represented clients in various capacities, including as borrowers/debtors, lenders, acquirers, and agents/trustees in negotiating and documenting complex commercial transactions, out-of-court restructuring transactions and advising on purchasing considerations in secondary market debt transactions. Contact Marianne at MMartin@jmbm.com or 310.201.3531

Trevor Countryman

Trevor Countryman is an associate in the firm's Real Estate Department. He advises clients in all aspects of real estate transactions including property acquisitions and dispositions, financing, leasing, development and construction. Trevor's clients range from large funds to individual developers and opportunistic investors, engaged in deals involving office, retail, multi-family, single-family, mixed-use and hotel properties. Contact Trevor Countryman at 310.201.3546 or TCountryman@jmbm.com.

Vanessa Han

Vanessa Han is an associate in JMBM's Corporate group. Vanessa can be reached at VHan@jmbm.com or 310.785.5383

Vince Farhat

Vince Farhat is Chair of JMBM's White Collar Defense and Investigations practice. Vince has extensive jury trial experience and focuses his practice on representing companies and individuals in criminal and civil investigations and prosecutions by government enforcement agencies, as well as complex federal litigation. He also advises companies in connection with complex and sensitive internal investigations. Prior to joining JMBM, Vince served as an assistant United States attorney in the Major Frauds Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. Contact Vince Farhat at 310.785.5382 or VFarhat@jmbm.com.

Ask the Hotel Lawyer™ is a quarterly column that I write for JMBM's Global Hospitality Advisor®. If you have a question you would like to submit to Ask the Hotel Lawyer™ please use the comments box below. While your question may not be of sufficient general interest for the column, I will try to respond to you individually if you leave your contact information below.
Jim Butler.