Ramada Brand Grows in India with Agreements for Four Hotels

PARSIPPANY, N.J.-– Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company with more than 7,100 hotels under 11 brands, announced the signing of four franchise agreements in India, bringing the total number of hotels that the company has open or under development in the country to 14.

The properties currently being built and scheduled to open later this year, include the 140-room Ramada Amritsar hotel, (middle right photo)  owned by Starex Developers Pvt. Ltd.; the 130-room Ramada Gurgaon Expressway New Delhi hotel, (top left photo)  owned by Sartaj Hotels Pvt. Ltd.; the 392-room Ramada Plaza Dwarka New Delhi hotel, (bottom left photo)  owned by Tirupati Buildings & Offices Pvt. Ltd.; and the 100-room Ramada Gurgaon Central hotel, (bottom right photo)  owned by Greenland Hospitality Private Ltd.

“India is seeing the most hotel development activity in the Asia Pacific region, behind only China,” said Tom Monahan, Wyndham Hotel Group executive vice president of international development.

“These new hotels will strengthen the brand’s presence in the important New Delhi and National Capital Region market as well as mark our introduction into Amritsar, one of the major cities of the Punjab state in India.”

The seven-story Ramada Amritsar will be located at Hall Bazaar in Amritsar, a short walk to the Golden Temple, the spiritual and cultural center of the Sikh religion.

This shrine is a major pilgrimage destination for Sikhs from all over the world as well as a popular tourist attraction. The property will feature two restaurants, meeting rooms, a terrace garden and a swimming pool.

Located along the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, the main arterial road connecting the two cities, is the three-story Ramada Airport Expressway New Delhi property.

The hotel, situated near the Delhi airport complex, will offer guests two restaurants, a large ballroom four meeting rooms, extensive lawns, a swimming pool and fitness facilities.

The 11-story Ramada Plaza Dwarka New Delhi is located in Dwarka, a well planned and expanding area of New Delhi city. With convenient access to the Delhi metro, it is well located near the Delhi airport and Gurgaon city. The hotel will feature three restaurants, a bar/lounge, a ballroom, three meeting rooms and health and fitness facilities with adjoining commercial and retail areas.

The seven-story Ramada Gurgaon Central hotel is centrally located in Sector 44 of Gurgaon. Hotel facilities will include two restaurants, a bar, a ballroom, four meeting rooms, a swimming pool and fitness facility.

Wyndham Hotel Group, part of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), encompasses more than 7,100 hotels and 597,000 rooms under the hotel brands: Wyndham Hotels and Resorts®, Ramada®, Days Inn®, Super 8®, Wingate by Wyndham®, Baymont Inn & Suites®, Microtel Inns & Suites®, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham®, Howard Johnson®, Travelodge® and Knights Inn®.

All hotels are independently owned and operated excluding certain Wyndham and international Ramada hotels which are managed by our affiliate or through a joint venture partner. Wyndham Hotel Group is based in Parsippany, N.J. Additional information is available at www.wyndhamworldwide.com.

Contact:  Christine Da Silva, Director, Media Relations, Wyndham Hotel Group, 22 Sylvan Way, Parsippany, NJ 07054, +1 (973) 753-6590, christine.dasilva@wyndhamworldwide.com

Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Expands to Africa with Nigerian Hotel

PARSIPPANY, NJ – Hawthorn Suites®by Wyndham today announced its expansion into Africa with the opening of its newest extended-stay hotel: the 108-room Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Abuja (top left photo)  in Abuja, Nigeria, the country’s capital city.

Owned and operated by Abuja Shelter Suites and Hotels Limited, the hotel is also the first Wyndham Hotel Group property to open in Nigeria.

“The extended-stay offerings of the Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham brand continue to see interest outside of North America, which is evidenced by the brand’s small but growing international footprint,” said Bill Hall,  (bottom right photo) Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham brand senior vice president.

“This newest hotel is a fine addition to our portfolio and will provide international travelers with both spacious accommodations and a host of modern amenities.”


The newly renovated Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham Abuja is located at 1 Uke Street, less than a kilometer from the Abuja International Conference Center and the National Arts and Culture Center.

Property highlights include free high-speed wireless Internet access, complimentary hot breakfast buffet, business and fitness centers, shuttle service and swimming pool. A full-service, on-site restaurant is also available, specializing in a variety of international cuisines.

In addition to this newest hotel, Wyndham Hotel Group currently has a portfolio of more than 10 hotels throughout Africa under its Days Inn®, Ramada® and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts® brands.


Contact:  Evy Apostolatos, Director, Media Relations, Wyndham Hotel Group, 22 Sylvan Way, Parsippany, NJ 07054, +1 (973) 753-6590, evy.apostolatos@wyndhamworldwide.com

Grubb & Ellis Commercial Florida Negotiates REO Sale of Three Treasure Island Condos in Tampa, FL Market for $1.995M

TAMPA, FL - Grubb & Ellis Commercial Florida recently negotiated REO sales of three waterfront condominiums on Treasure Island for $1.995 million.

Jeff Sweeney, (middle right photo)  SIOR, president of Grubb & Ellis Commercial Florida, said the condominiums are part of a portfolio of nine bank-owned luxury condominiums at Serena Bay Condominiums at 260 108th Ave. in Treasure Island overlooking Boca Ciega Bay (above centered photo)

Sweeney said Nat Barganier, (bottom left photo) executive director of the Grubb & Ellis Commercial Florida Distressed Property Services Group and head of Multi-Family Investment Sales, teamed and negotiated all three sales with Dania Perry of Jim White Century 21, a residential sales specialist for Tampa Bay area waterfront units.

The Grubb & Ellis Commercial Florida DPS Group was the Receiver.

“We formed the Grubb & Ellis Commercial Florida Distressed Property Group last year to provide real estate services to banks and lenders with REO portfolios,” Sweeney explained. The group includes top Grubb professionals with a deep bench of receiver, banking, development, management and reposition qualifications.

Local home buyers Axel and Kit Hoewt, Charles and Judy Gallagher and Coral L. Bowers acquired the 2,650 square foot high-end condominiums.

“For the buyers, the sale represents tremendous value,"  Sweeney says. "For the lender, we are able to remove distressed properties from their books at an agreeable price.

"Early on,  Barganier encouraged the lender to pursue both a “retail” and “bulk” sale of units in order to maximize buyer coverage and potential return. Nat has several excellent properties remaining to sell and we’re still accepting distressed property assignments,” Sweeney adds.

CONTACTS:

Grubb & Ellis Commercial Florida, 3030 N. Rocky Point Drive W., Tampa, FL 33609, www.commercialfl.com
Nat Barganier 813-639-1111 ext. 205;
Jeffrey Sweeney, SIOR 407-481-5387
Larry Vershel Communications 407-644-4142

HFF Indianapolis hires John Sebree as managing director to focus on multi-housing investment sales

INDIANAPOLIS, IN– HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.) announced today that it has hired John S. Sebree (top right photo)  as a managing director in the investment sales group in its Indianapolis office.

Sebree will focus on multi-housing investment sales in Indiana and throughout the Midwest.

 Prior to joining HFF, he was a senior investment associate and director of the National MultiHousing Group of Marcus & Millichap for 17 years.

He worked in the firm’s Chicago office for seven years before opening the Indianapolis office in 1998.

During Sebree’s career he has successfully marketed and closed intricate portfolio transactions for sophisticated institutional clients including Archon, CW Capital, Sentinel, AIMCO, ING Realty Partners and Tarragon.

 In his most recent three years as an investment real estate broker, Sebree personally closed 58 transactions with more than 12,000 units located in nine states with a market value in excess of $430 million. Closings include multi-market portfolio transactions as well as single-asset sales of Class A, B, and C grade properties.

“HFF is pleased to have a seasoned multi-housing professional such as Sebree join our team. He was responsible for opening Marcus & Millichap’s Indianapolis office and built it from the ground up into a regional powerhouse,” said David B. Keller, (middle right photo) senior managing director and head of HFF Indianapolis.

“Sebree’s presence at HFF will strengthen our multi-housing investment sales platform in the Midwest as well as nationally and marks the third hire of an investment sales broker at HFF since the beginning of 2010,” added Keller.

Contacts:

David B. Keller, HFF Senior Managing Director, (317) 630-3191, dbkeller@hfflp.com
Kristen M. Murphy, HFF Associate Director, Marketing, (713) 852-3500, krmurphy@hfflp.com