Mergers & Acquisitions

🏠 Emerson Hospitality is redeveloping Black Creek Barns, a 153-acre estate in Esopus, NY, into a 70-room resort, opening in late 2027. Located 90 miles north of NYC near Poughkeepsie, it features historic structures, a 7,000 sq ft event hall, and a 9,000 sq ft craft center. Supported by $38 million in financing from IPA, The LCP Group, and Imperial Ridge, the project emphasizes sustainability with C-PACE financing.

📈 Lemon Tree Hotels and Fleur Hotels plan a structural reorganization with Warburg Pincus investing in Fleur. Coastal Cedar Investment B.V. will acquire a 41.09% stake in Fleur. Warburg Pincus will invest up to INR 960 crore ($106 million USD). The scheme, starting April 1, 2026, involves transferring hotel assets to Fleur, expanding from 24 hotels with 3,993 keys to 41 hotels with 5,813 keys. Fleur's shares will be listed on NSE and BSE.

🏨 MIAMI, Florida—Kabani Hotel Group brokered the sale of voco St. Augustine – Historic Area by IHG, a 50-room hotel, for $9,000,000. The sale price equates to $180,000 per room with a 6.3% capitalization rate and a ~5.3× room revenue multiple. The transaction, led by Lucas Mondino, closed in 44 days. Built in 2019, the hotel caters to both historic tourism and beachgoers in St. Augustine's strong leisure market.

🏨 Two Seas Hotels acquired the 50-bedroom Celtic International Hotel on Port Road in Barry, near Cardiff City Airport, for an undisclosed amount. The hotel, which serves leisure and business guests, features a full-service offering with a recently refurbished bar and restaurant. The acquisition, managed by Sam Roberts from Christie and Co, reflects the group's expansion in the Welsh hospitality market. Mr. Zaman, director at Two Seas Hotels, noted the hotel’s future potential.

🏨 Criterion Capital has acquired the 732-room St Giles London Hotel, located at the junction of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road. This strategic purchase reunifies the site after over 30 years. St Giles was acquired from the YMCA, who ceased operations there in 2025. Criterion's portfolio now exceeds 3,700 rooms in the West End, with a planned expansion to over 9,000 rooms by 2029, focusing on redevelopment and reuse. Criterion was founded by property investor Asif Aziz.

🏨 Soft brands have surged in popularity as lodging companies like Hilton, Marriott, and Preferred Hotels & Resorts grow collections of independent hotels. As of 2023, Hilton’s Curio Collection is set to open its 200th hotel, and The Luxury Collection in Madrid reopened in 2025 after renovation. These brands offer independence with global sales platforms and loyalty programs. Preferred Hotels boasts over 600 hotels worldwide. LHW and Relais & Châteaux maintain exclusivity, accepting only 5% of membership inquiries.

💰 The Plasencia Group facilitated the sale of Le Pavillon New Orleans, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, including an adjacent lot. The buyer group was led by Robert J. Guidry, with Guidry Land Partners and David Bansmer. The 226-room hotel, originally opened in 1907 and affiliated with Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio in 2024, is located on Poydras Street, New Orleans. Guidry’s portfolio in the city is nearing 1,000 rooms, highlighting New Orleans' hospitality market strength.

💰 MCR Hotels, a major investor, backed out of a $200 million funding commitment for Soho House & Co's $2.7 billion privatization deal. On Monday, MCR, the third-largest U.S. hotel owner-operator, notified Soho House it couldn't meet its financial obligation by the closing date. Despite this, Soho House plans a stockholders meeting on Thursday. Majority shareholder Yucaipa, owned by Ron Burkle, is seeking alternative funding, potentially from Apollo or other investors.