Monday, February 23, 2015

HFF closes sale of Hilton Clearwater Beach in Florida


Hilton Clearwater Beach Hotel, 400 Mandalay Avenue, Clearwater Beach, FL


Alexandra Lalos
TAMPA, FL – HFF announced today that it has closed the sale of the Hilton Clearwater Beach, a 416-key hotel overlooking the Gulf of Mexico in Clearwater Beach, Florida. 

HFF marketed the property on behalf of the seller, an affiliate of Blackstone.  An affiliate of Columbia Sussex Corporation purchased the offering free and clear of existing debt. 

  The purchaser is entering into a long-term franchise agreement with Hilton and will assume property management responsibilities.

                The full-service hotel is situated on 10 acres directly on the sand at 400 Mandalay Avenue in Clearwater Beach.  



The property is located immediately proximate to the terminus of Clearwater Memorial Causeway, affording the hotel visibility and access from downtown Clearwater, Tampa International Airport and Interstate 75.



Dan Peek
Renovated in 2006, the nine-story Hilton-branded hotel features 40,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space, two beach-side swimming pools, state-of-the-art fitness center, a kids club and water sports rentals and activities.

 The hotel has four dining options, including Reflection, a full-service restaurant offering gourmet cuisine and views of the beach and Gulf of Mexico; Coaster’s Lounge in the lobby; the poolside Sand Bar & Grill and the Tiki Bar.  

The Hilton Clearwater Beach is the only hotel outlet in Clearwater Beach providing service directly on the sand. 

                The HFF investment sales team representing the seller was led by senior managing director and head of HFF’s hotel group Dan Peek, director Max Comess and real estate analysts Alexandra Lalos, Zach Nolan and Preston Reid.

“This is a milestone transaction for Clearwater Beach and the Florida resort market in general,” Peek said.  

Zach Nolan
“Like many of its resort peers, the Hilton is enjoying a robust recovery and record-breaking performance, which attracted investors from around the globe.”

“To say that the Pinellas County lodging market is in the midst of a renaissance would be an understatement,” Comess added. 

 “We are seeing the continued transformation of Clearwater and St. Petersburg from a second-tier, regional vacation spot to one of the fastest growing resort destinations in the U.S. with impressive year-round performance.”

In the year ending 2014, HFF’s Hotel Group closed more than $3.5 billion in hotel transactions across all capital markets involving more than 100 hotels and resorts.  The firm is particularly active in Tampa Bay’s coastal region, where it has recently closed transactions on hotels such as the Sandpearl, Hyatt Clearwater Beach, Sheraton Sand Key and the Residence Inn Clearwater.


Max Comess
Blackstone is one of the world’s leading investment firms.  Further information is available at www.blackstone.com.  Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone. 

Columbia Sussex is a private hotel company based in Crestview Hills, Kentucky.

 The company, owned by the Yung family, owns and operates hotels in various parts of the United States.

As of 2014, the company operates 41 hotels under 8 different brands. 


 For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Olivia Hennessey
Public Relations Coordinator
HFF | 9 Greenway Plaza, Suite 700 | Houston, TX 77046
tel 713.852.3403 | fax 713.527.8725 | www.hfflp.com

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