WASHINGTON (January 7, 2016) – The Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) today announced finalists for the prestigious ALIS Awards. Among these finalists are executives and companies who are responsible for the most influential hotel industry deals in 2015.

The winners will be announced on Tuesday, January 26th, during the ALIS conference, which runs from January 25-27 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.

This year's finalists are:

Development (Full Service) of the Year 2015
Note: Full Service includes branded and unbranded - luxury and upper upscale chain scales, and casinos.
 

• 1 Hotel South Beach - Miami, FL
  The 426-room 1 Hotel South Beach was developed in a joint partnership with Starwood Capital Group's Barry Sternlicht and LeFrak's Richard LeFrak and is managed by SH Group.
• JW Marriott Downtown Austin - Austin, TX 
  The 1,012-room JW Marriott Downtown Austin was developed by White Lodging Services Corporation and is also managed and owned by White Lodging Services Corporation.
• Loews Chicago - Chicago, IL
  The 400-room Loews Chicago was developed by Convexity Properties, a DRW Company, and is managed and owned by Loews Hotels & Resorts.
• Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort - Hollywood, FL 
  The 349-room Margaritaville Hollywood Beach Resort was developed by Lon Tabatchnick and is managed by Coral Hospitality.

Development (Select/Limited Service) of the Year 2015
Note: Select/Limited Service includes branded and unbranded - upscale, upper midscale, midscale, and economy chain scales.
 

• Aloft South Beach - Miami Beach, FL
  The 235-room Aloft South Beach was developed by JMH Development and Madden Real Estate Ventures and is managed by Highgate.
• Hampton Inn Chicago Motor Club - Chicago, IL 
  The 143-room Hampton Inn Chicago Motor Club was developed by Murphy Asset Management and is managed by Crescent Hotels & Resorts.
• Residence Inn Chicago Downtown/Loop - Chicago, IL 
  The 381-room Residence Inn Chicago Downtown/Loop was developed by The Prime Group and is managed by Marriott International.

Single Asset Transaction of the Year 2015
 

• Montage Laguna Beach - Laguna Beach, CA 
  Strategic Hotels & Resorts acquired the fee-simple interest in the 250-room Montage Laguna Beach from Ohana Real Estate Investors for US$360 million.
• New York Palace Hotel - New York, NY
  LOTTE Group acquired the leasehold interest in the 909-room New York Palace Hotel from Northwood Investors for US$805 million.
• Waldorf Astoria New York - New York, NY 
  Anbang Insurance Group Co. Ltd. acquired the Waldorf Astoria New York from Hilton Worldwide and Blackstone for US$1.95 billion.

Merger & Acquisition of the Year 2015
 

• Affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VIII L.P. / Strategic Hotels & Resorts 
  Affiliates of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VIII L.P. acquired Strategic Hotels & Resorts for a total transaction value of approximately US$6 billion.
• Expedia, Inc. / HomeAway, Inc.
  Expedia, Inc. acquired HomeAway, Inc., including all its brands for US$3.9 billion.
• InterContinental Hotels Group PLC / Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Group LLC 
  InterContinental Hotels Group PLC acquired Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Group LLC for US$430 million.

Jack A. Shaffer Financial Advisor of the Year 2015
 

• Art Adler, Managing Director and CEO Americas, JLL
• Elliot K. Eichner, Co-Founder and Principal, Sonnenblick-Eichner Company
• Gilda Perez-Alvarado, Managing Director, JLL Hotels & Hospitality

Co-hosted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and Burba Hotel Network (BHN), the two-and-a-half-day ALIS event features 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. Proceeds benefit the educational, research, and training missions of the Educational Institute (EI) of the American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation (AH&LEF), AH&LA’s not-for-profit affiliate. For information on AH&LEF, please visitwww.ahlef.org. 

Online registration is available via the ALIS Website, www.ALISconference.com. For general event information and sponsorship opportunities, contact BHN Conference Manager Ashlynn Crandell at acrandell@burba.com. 
 

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Serving the hospitality industry for more than a century, AH&LA is the sole national association representing all segments of the nearly 2 million-employee U.S. lodging industry, including hotel owners, REITs, chains, franchisees, management companies, independent properties, state hotel associations, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides focused advocacy, communications support, and educational resources for an industry generating $176 billion in annual sales from some 5 million guestrooms. 

AH&LEF is the charitable fund-raising and endowed fund-management subsidiary of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Founded in 1953, AH&LEF is the premier organization for scholarships, professional certification, and instructional material as well as funding for hospitality industry research.

BHN is the worldwide leader in developing and organizing conferences for the hotel and tourism investment community. With almost three decades of experience, nearly 130 events completed to-date, and almost 90,000 international delegates, BHN conferences have become “must attend” events for industry leaders who come together to network, conduct business and to learn about the latest trends. BHN events include: the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) in Los Angeles; ALIS Law in Los Angeles; ALIS Summer Update; Alternative Ownership Conference Asia Pacific (AOCAP) in Singapore; Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS) in Miami; Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Hong Kong; HICAP UPDATE in Singapore; Hotel Investment Forum India (HIFI) in Mumbai; Hotel Opportunities Latin America (HOLA) conference in Miami; and Hotel Investment Conference Europe (Hot.E) in London. The BHN website at www.Burba.com is the gateway for information about the conferences BHN produces, as well as a direct link to important players in the hospitality investment world.