LOS ANGELES (January 26, 2016) - At the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) awards luncheon today, executives and companies responsible for the most influential hotel industry deals in 2015 were honored with prestigious ALIS awards. Nominees are considered for the awards based on outstanding business performance in various industry sectors and determined by ALIS sponsors and delegates. This year’s winners include:  

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. 

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. 

Single Asset Transaction of the Year 2015

• 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

• 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

• Gilda Perez-Alvarado, Managing Director, JLL Hotels & Hospitality 

JP Ford chaired the ALIS Development of the Year committee, John R. Karver chaired the ALIS Single Asset Transaction of the Year committee, Jackson Hsieh 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.

Hasmukh P. (H.P.) Rama, chairman of the board and CEO of JHM Hotels, was honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), January 25-27, 2016, in Los Angeles. This prominent award is presented to an individual who has made significant contributions to the hospitality industry over his or her lifetime through their actions, deeds, and great accomplishments.

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 from ALIS benefit the educational, research, and training missions of the American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation (AH&LEF), AH&LA’s nonprofit affiliate. For information on the Foundation, visit www.ahlef.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.