Articles Posted in Meet the Money®

01 June 2015

In the Hotel Business article “Industry optimism still remains at Meet the Money,” executive news editor Stefani C. O’Connor captured perfectly the atmosphere of Meet the Money® National Hotel Finance and Investment Conference, organized by JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group®. that took place May 5-7 in Los Angeles.

She wrote: CONTINUE READING →

28 April 2015

Meet the Money® 2015 Spotlight

Rich Clark, Managing Director of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

The Hotel Law Blog is highlighting some of our Meet the Money® 2015 sponsors as the national hotel finance and investment conference approaches. In the Q&A below,, describes how the risk management company approaches the unique needs of hospitality companies.

You can hear from Rich and 100 other speakers at Meet the Money® 2015, coming up May 4-6 in Los Angeles. The window of opportunity for hotel deals and development is wide open, and the 25th year of our conference will help you make the right choices and meet the right people to add value to your deals in 2015 and beyond. Register now at www.MeetTheMoney.com.

Jim Butler: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? How did you get into the insurance business and hospitality. When did you join AJ Gallagher and come to your present position? What are responsibilities at AJ Gallagher now?

Rich Clark: I am originally from Nashville, Tennessee, and started in the insurance business out of college as an underwriter with an insurance carrier. I moved to the broker side five years later to a firm in Memphis, and moved to Houston in 1985 with a national broker. Two years later, with a group of guys from New York, I opened a new brokerage firm with offices in New York, Hartford, Irvine and Houston. We sold this company to Arthur J. Gallagher in 2001, which is when I joined.

I began specializing exclusively in hospitality in 1992—three of my hospitality clients have been with me for more than 20 years. In late 2001, we launched the Real Estate and Hospitality practice for Gallagher. We later decided to create a separate hospitality practice due to the big differences in hospitality from the other asset classes within real estate. I am the National Practice Leader for Gallagher Hospitality, and a part of the newly formed Global Hospitality Practice. I remain involved in the real estate practice, and am also a Regional Director for the Gallagher Property Insurance Practice.

Jim: Tell us about some of your current or recent engagements. Who are you working with and what are you doing? How are you and your team spending your time? CONTINUE READING →

27 April 2015

Meet the Money® 2015 Spotlight

Rob Palleschi, Global Head Full,  Service Brands of Hilton Worldwide

The Hotel Law Blog is highlighting some of our Meet the Money® 2015 sponsors as the national hotel finance and investment conference approaches. In the Q&A below, Rob Palleschi, Global Head, Full Service Brands of Hilton Worldwide, discusses how he got started in the hospitality industry, and what the global brand is expecting in 2015.

You can hear from Rob and 100 other speakers at Meet the Money® 2015, coming up May 4-6 in Los Angeles. The window of opportunity for hotel deals and development is wide open, and the 25th year of our conference will help you make the right choices and meet the right people to add value to your deals in 2015 and beyond. Register now at www.MeetTheMoney.com.

Jim Butler: Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you get into the hospitality business? What are responsibilities at Hilton now?

Rob Palleschi: I started working in the hotel business in high school, at the front desk and as a night auditor. Later, I went to Johnson & Wales University for Hotel/Restaurant Management…and here I am. I’ve been in the hospitality industry for over 25 years, and I currently oversee all aspects of Hilton Worldwide’s flagship brands and a portfolio of over 550 hotels through the world. I’ve also overseen the DoubleTree brand in the past, strategizing development, implementation, and enforcement of brand standards. CONTINUE READING →

30 March 2015

Meet the Money® National Hotel Finance & Investment Conference
May 4-6, 2015 in Los Angeles

The window of opportunity is open – choosing the right deals

LOS ANGELES–Meet the Money® 2015 will mark the 25th year that hotel owners, operators, developers, consultants, investors, brands, lenders and other capital providers convene in Los Angeles to explore opportunities for hotel development and deals.

“Industry fundamentals are strong, interest rates are low, debt and equity are flowing, and overseas investors are lining up to invest in hotels,” said Jim Butler, Chairman of JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group®. “The window of opportunity is wide open. The challenge now is to choose the right deals for you and your company.”

Meet the Money® 2015 will include presentations on how developers are using new financing sources, such as crowd funding and EB-5 financing, as part of the capital stack for new projects. Industry experts will share up-to-the minute information on valuation, buying, selling, repositioning, and financing hotels.

This year, Meet the Money® will offer a new Monday afternoon session—the Resort Development Workshop: Mixed Use and Shared Ownership. Hosted by Platinum Sponsor Interval International and the Global Hospitality Group®, the Resort Development Workshop will explore mixed-use and shared ownership with industry experts across a diverse mix of disciplines, focusing on the business models and opportunities for hoteliers, developers and investors. CONTINUE READING →