Concord Hospitality Appoints William G. Gant GM of Renaissance Raleigh at North Hills

Hotel Veteran Will Open Flagship Hotel as Anchor of $2 billion Mixed-Use Development

RALEIGH-DURHAM, N.C.—Concord Hospitality Enterprises, one of the nation's top-ranked hotel developer/owner/operators, has named William G. Gant (top right photo) general manager of the 229-room Renaissance Raleigh at North Hills, (rendering above) based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The full-service, four-star property, scheduled to open in November, will be the centerpiece of Raleigh’s North Hills development,(middle right photo) a $2 billion, mixed-use venue that includes 730,000 square feet of retail, dining, entertainment, business and residential space.

North Hills is located at the intersection of Six Forks Road and the Interstate 440 Beltline. Concord is currently developing the hotel and will manage it upon its completion.

A 21-year veteran of the hotel industry, Gant has extensive experience with Renaissance, a Marriott hotel brand. He was the assistant general manager at Concord’s Renaissance Meadowlands, (bottom left photo) located at New Jersey’s Meadowlands, 700-acre entertainment complex.

Prior to joining Concord, he held leadership positions with Renaissance and Marriot International. Before coming to the Raleigh property, Gant was the general manager at Concord’s historic Clinton Inn in Tenafly, New Jersey.

“Bill Gant’s extensive experience with the Renaissance brand and multi-use venues will give us a major leg up as we position this hotel as a destination property for business and leisure travelers,” said Mark Laport, (top left photo) president and CEO of Concord.

“This will be the only four-star property in the Raleigh area, but it also has a boutique feel, giving it a broad range of appeal.

“The Renaissance is our first development in Raleigh since moving our corporate headquarters here in 2003,” Laport added. “Bill has the skills, experience and knowledge to make this property a recognized leader in our hometown, something we are proud to have here.”

The Renaissance’s 229 guest rooms will include six luxury suites and a presidential suite.

The hotel offers 8,000 square feet of meeting space, and guests will have access to the adjoining Natural Body Spa and the 50,000-square-foot Gold’s Gym athletic club nearby in North Hills.

Concord Hospitality Enterprises Company, an award-winning hotel management and development company based in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., manages 51 hotels with over 6,000 guest rooms in 11 states and two Canadian providences under such well-known brands as Renaissance, Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott, Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn and Suites, and an independent boutique hotel.

Formed in 1985, the company was recently listed as one of the top management companies in the nation. Concord properties are some of the most awarded hotels in the country, having won nearly 30 honors in the past two years alone.

For more information, visit http://www.concordhotels.com/.


CONTACTS:

Jerry Daly or Melanie Boyer, Account Executive, Daly Gray Public Relations, (703) 435-6293

Hotel Brokers International Adds New Members to Worldwide Network

Buffalo and St. Louis-based Hotel Brokers Join Organization

KANSAS CITY, MO—Hotel Brokers International (HBI), the nation’s largest brokerage organization with more than 30 offices from coast to coast, announces two new members have been elected to the organization: Buffalo Hotel Realty, LLC, headquartered in suburban Buffalo, N.Y., and Cape Girardeau, Mo.-based CRES Hotel Brokers.

The two firms’ principals, Larry Best (middle left photo) and David Donley (top right photo), bring more than 50 years of combined hotel and real estate experience.

“Their upstate New York and southeast Missouri office locations further diversify our organization geographically, and give our members greater ‘on-the-ground’ insights,” said H. Brandt Niehaus, (middle right photo) CHB, of Huff, Niehaus & Associates, Inc.

“Larry and David have extensive hotel and real estate backgrounds that reflect the integrity and accomplishment that are characteristic of HBI. Both have proven track records of successful hotel real estate sales and industry knowledge that will augment our current membership. Their savvy and skill will serve as valuable resources to HBI and their clients.”

Before acquiring Buffalo Hotel Realty in 2006, Best worked in a variety of hospitality industry segments, including sales and marketing and design and construction. “His extensive background in hotel construction and understanding of hotel operations give his clients – both buyers and sellers—an added dimension in hotel real estate,” Niehaus noted.

“He is rapidly establishing a strong track record,” he added. “Recent sales comprise mid-market hotels with and without food and beverage, including a full-service Holiday Inn and a Comfort Inn.”

Donley is the owner and president of CRES Hotel Brokers, as well as two sister divisions in commercial and residential real estate. With more than 20 years experience in commercial real estate, he is a lifetime member of the Realtors Million Dollar Club and has received the Masters Club Award and the Pinnacle Level Award of Excellence.

“David has a broad background in all aspects of real estate, as well as hotels, which will help his clients in locating properties that have greater growth potential,” Niehaus said.

Recent transactions include several Holiday Inn Express hotels, LaQuinta Hotel and a Comfort Inn in a number of Midwestern states. Additional information about CRES Hotel Brokers is available at http://www.creshotelbrokers.com/.

Contacts:
Glenda Webb, Hotel Brokers International, (816) 505-4315

Melanie Boyer, Account Executive, Daly Gray Public Relations, (703) 435-6293

Southern Commercial Completes 18,000-SF Lease Renewal

ORLANDO, FL-- Principals Tom McFadden, SIOR and William “Bo” Bradford, CCIM, SIOR of Southern Commercial Real Estate Advisors have completed an 18,000 square foot lease renewal with Exide Technologies at 4677 LB McLeod in Orlando. McFadden and Bradford represented the landlord, FGHP Properties.

CONTACT:
Celeste MacKenzie, 321 281 8503, cmackenzie@southerncommercialre.com

HFF Places $18.7M Permanent Loan with Freddie Mac for Corpus Christi, TX Multifamily Community

DALLAS, TX – The Dallas office of HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.) has placed an $18.7 million permanent loan with Freddie Mac for Reserve at Saratoga,(photo above) a Class A multifamily community in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Managing director Andy Scott (top right photo) worked exclusively on behalf of Peek Howe Real Estate to arrange the seven-year, fixed-rate financing. Founded in 1993, Peek-Howe Real Estate specializes in the development, acquisition, disposition and management of commercial real estate properties.

The Reserve at Saratoga is located at 5701 Saratoga Boulevard close to the Corpus Christi Naval Air Station and South Padre Island, as well as several new medical complexes, a new high-end retail neighborhood, and the Corpus Christi Country Club and golf course.

Completed in 2006, the property is 98% occupied and has 274 units that have an average unit size of 834 square feet. Community amenities include a luxury clubhouse, indoor basketball court and a “resort-style” swimming pool.

HFF (NYSE: HF) operates out of 18 offices nationwide and is a leading provider of commercial real estate and capital markets services to the U.S. commercial real estate industry. HFF offers clients a fully integrated national capital markets platform including debt placement, investment sales, structured finance, private equity, note sales and note sale advisory services and commercial loan servicing.

CONTACTS:

J. Andrew Scott, HFF Managing Director, 214 265 0880, ascott@hfflp.com

Laurie Fish McDowell, HFF Associate Director, Marketing 617 338 0990, lmcdowell@hfflp.com