ALIS 2018 Deal of the Year Award Winners

Published January 2019

Today the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), honored the executives and companies responsible for the most influential hotel industry deals in 2018 with the prestigious ALIS awards. The winners were announced on Wednesday, January 30th, during the ALIS conference, which ran from January 28-30, 2019 at the JW Marriott and Microsoft Theater at L.A. LIVE. Nominees for the awards are evaluated based on outstanding business performance in various industry sectors. 

Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, Colorado was named Development of the Year (Full Service) 2018 (includes branded and unbranded - luxury and upper upscale chain scales, and casinos). Finalists in this category also included Omni Louisville Hotel in Louisville, KY, and The LINE DC in Washington, DC. 

Hilton Garden Inn Chicago, Hampton Inn by Hilton Chicago and Home2 Suites by Hilton Chicago McCormick Place in Chicago, IL was named Development of the Year (Select/Limited Service) 2018 (includes branded and unbranded - upscale, upper midscale, midscale, and economy chain scales). Finalists in this category also included Columbia Place in Washington, DC and Radisson RED Downtown Portland in Portland, OR. 

Royal Crescent Hotel – New Orleans, LA was named Transaction of the Year (US$25M & Under) 2018. Finalists in this category also included the Holiday Inn Chicago in Tinley Park, IL and the Quality Inn & Suites Cocoa Beach in Cocoa Beach, FL. 

The Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas in Las Vegas, NV was named Transaction of the Year (Over US$25M) 2018. Finalists in this category also included The Plaza Hotel in New York, NY and The Vinoy® Renaissance St. Petersburg Resort & Golf Club in St. Petersburg, FL. 

Pebblebrook Hotel Trust / LaSalle Hotel Properties was named Merger & Acquisition of the Year 2018. Finalists in this category also included Marriott Vacation Worldwide / ILG and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. / La Quinta Holdings Franchise and Management Operations 

Christopher Jordan, EVP, Hospitality Finance Group, Wells Fargo was named Jack A. Shaffer Financial Advisor of the Year 2018. Finalists in this category also included Naftali Holtz, Managing Director, Head of Lodging & Leisure Investment Banking, Goldman, Sachs & Co, and Aaron Weiss, Managing Director, Head of Lodging, Citi. 

JP Ford chaired the ALIS Development of the Year committee, John Karver chaired the Transaction of the Year committee, Michael Murphy chaired the ALIS Merger & Acquisition of the Year committee and Thomas J. Corcoran chaired the ALIS Jack A. Shaffer Financial Advisor of the Year committee.

Produced by Northstar Travel Group, in association with the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Burba Hotel Network (BHN), the two-and-a-half-day ALIS event featured an extensive array of seminars and panels hosted by leading experts and investors discussing important trends and identifying new opportunities. The conference attracts the lodging industry’s leading hotel executives, investors, lenders, developers, and professional advisory community.