Davis Wright Tremaine has a vibrant hospitality practice across the Pacific Rim. We serve hotel and resort clients out of offices in Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Shanghai. We are a leading firm in the hospitality sector by virtue of our service, knowledge, innovation, relationships and price.
To us, hotels and resorts are much more than a real estate asset class. They are complicated round-the-clock businesses where service is key. As our clients strive to satisfy and exceed every guest demand, our lawyers strive to satisfy and exceed every client demand, with client success as our aim. Our industry knowledge helps us keep clients apprised of key and emerging business and legal issues so they can better assess and manage risk, make timely strategic decisions, and succeed where others have failed. Through our extensive industry contacts, we have introduced our clients to some of their most profitable transactions.
We represent a wide range of clients. We help owners and developers with acquisition, ground leasing, entitlements and environmental review. We aid in construction, labor, license and management agreements. We work with global brands and owners to protect their intellectual property, expand their reach, manage their workforce and address daily operational issues. We also assist large corporate clients with portfolio acquisitions and timely divestitures.
We have represented hotel clients in billions of dollars of real estate transactions, financed by groups such as Goldman Sachs, Chase Manhattan, Morgan Stanley, GMAC, GECC, AFL-CIO Building Investment Trust, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, EuroHypo and many others. We have created joint ventures that combine developer expertise with investors in search of high returns. We are leaders in the representation of cross-boarder investments, and are expert in tax treaties and the corporate structures that best service the international investor.
Today, we are leveraging our contacts in the owner, developer, investor, lender, and brokerage and valuation sectors to introduce and assist clients in acquiring new assets at distressed prices worldwide. We are also working to restructure debt with portfolio and secured lenders, and to place new debt and equity for troubled and performing assets, as well as helping operators and franchisors expand their reach and improve performance.
Selected Experience
Haiyi Hotels
2010
Representation of international investor in the "off-market" acquisition of three San Francisco hotels from foreclosing lender. Negotiated term sheet and purchase and sale agreement which allowed client to avoid market bidding process and achieve favorable pricing. (read more)
Pacific Hotel Management
2009
Assisted client in structuring and closing the sale of the Laguna Hills Holiday Inn, one of the few hotel sales in 2009, through use of creative seller financing. (read more)
Intercontinental The Clement Hotel Monterey
2008
Developed and implemented the legal strategy resulting in the new Intercontinental The Clement Hotel Monterey after 25 years of inactivity, including obtaining all environmental approvals and entitlements from the California Coastal Commission, Army Corps of Engineers, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, City of Monterey and others. Hotel was named best hospitality project in McGraw-Hill Construction's California Construction "08 best of awards" recognizing construction and design excellence. (read more)
Cavallo Point
2008
Assisted developer Tom Sargent in structuring and closing his initial investor round and negotiating a hotel operating agreement with Passport Resorts LLC for Cavallo Point, which opened in June 2008. (read more)
Cook Inlet Region
2008
Represented an Alaska Native corporation in the formation of a joint venture to construct the Hyatt Place Sonterra hotel in San Antonio and in the negotiation of hotel management agreement with regional operator. (read more)
Sheraton Palo Alto
2008
Negotiated long-term ground lease with Stanford Land Management for a 346-room hotel.
Seibu Alaska, Inc.
2006
Represented Seibu Alaska, Inc., in sale of Alyeska Ski Resort, including ski operations, hotel and golf course. (read more)
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
2003-2006
Represented owner/operator in refinancings of the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Arizona (2006), The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle (2004), and The Fairmont Kea Lani Maui (2003).
West Coast Hotels Inc.
2000
Represented West Coast Hotels Inc. in its sale to Cavanaugh's, and in the subsequent acquisition of Red Lion Hotels from Hilton. (read more) |