Category Archives: Hospitality

Selling to the Next Generation

Sometimes in the business world, especially a family owned business, owners decide it is time for selling to the next generation.

The GRP Capital team worked hard with our clients to help them purchase this Florida hotel from their relatives. The price was very good, as is often the case in “arms length transactions”. Our clients are now ready to take over the full management of the property and reap all the revenues. The new owners are excited to do so, just in time for increased American travel.

Reasons for Selling to the Next Generation: 

• Current Owners wish to step back: The opportunity for selling to the next generation can be quite tempting. In doing so, the current owners can shed the responsibility of day-to-day management and operation. At the same, time, they also ensure that their younger family members have a path to accrue capital and credit.

• Younger Generation Exhibits Ability to Take Over Successfully: The younger generation is often quite adept at taking over the reins of leadership in their family businesses. Prior to the transfer, these younger owners need to accrue the required equity injection and develop a favorable credit rating. They need to be skilled, albeit young managers.

•  Selling to the next Generation Allows for Changes: Sometimes managers and owners need to make changes in order to increase revenue and hold down costs. These changes can be difficult for the older generation to take on. Examples of these innovations include updated software to track purchases and vendors, payroll systems, marketing campaigns and networking with the next generation.

Creating a Path Towards New Ownership:

Managing Partner Krishan Patel stated, “I was happy to help these clients transfer this hotel to the next generation. The younger family members are already highly skilled in accounting and hotel management. This property made it through COVID-19 and promises to provide good cash flow under their leadership.”

This loan took a bit of extra work to close. The loan process started before the pandemic and was paused by the lender. But there was a silver lining.  Due to the delay, our client was able to take advantage of the latest stimulus package. GRP Capital worked in tandem with the lender to see the loan through to closing, including underwriting the many other businesses owned by the client borrowers.

Our GRP Capital team specializes in finding the right lender for each project. We save our clients time and money, as we research  the best choices for their funding sources. Our experience allows our clients to find funding that is project-appropriate and will allow for sufficient cash flow. If you are considering becoming a first-time (or second or third time!) buyer, we can assist you.

Setting goals to achieve results: new loan in California

Setting goals is an important part of of being a successful businessperson. For many of our clients, their objectives include adding new businesses to their portfolio, expanding or remodeling, or refinancing current loans to improve cash flow. Setting goals helps you see where you are heading. While you are are setting goals, GRP Capital can then help determine the steps you need to realize your dreams.

GRP Capital’s  Senior Associate Ryan Dumas and our entire team were able to close a California hotel loan. Our client came to Ryan a while ago and he wasn’t quite ready to take on a new loan, but he needed financing to replace a private loan he was currently paying off. Ryan and the entire GRP team worked closely with him to structure his loan and to help him improve his financial picture. By setting a goal of improving his books, our GRP team could find more willing lenders from our network. The client had in his favor a solid and profitable hotel in a busy market. He and his management team are hands-on with their property. And most importantly, everybody had their eyes on the prize: closing that loan.

On the day the loan closed, our client posted pictures of a celebratory outdoor dinner with friends and business partners. With smiling faces, he also tagged GRP Capital, praised Ryan and the rest of our team, saying “You Rock!” and “We highly recommend u!”

Ryan Dumas remarked, “This client is our bread and butter at GRP Capital. He knows his business, he is a small businessman who just needed guidance and personal attention. We even helped him with some legal and title issues when those threatened to slow down the loan process. I know he and his team will continue to be profitable at this property.”

Setting Goals for Your Business:

• Improving Cash Flow. Ryan and the rest of the team can help you truly understand the financial picture of your business. We can often suggest ways  ways to minimize or eliminate expenses? Are there actions you can be taking to increasing your revenue? GRP Capital can help you take advantage of tax laws to minimize your tax exposure while still demonstrating the health of your business.

• Comparing Loan Products: The right loan can often bring down your monthly payments. Loans can also provide more permanent, reliable financing, especially if you are facing a balloon payment. Our GRP Capital team can discuss the variety of loans out there and help you choose from various lenders to secure the loan that most closely matches your goals.

Our GRP Capital team specializes in finding the right lender for each project. We save our clients time and money, as we research the best choices for their funding sources. Our experience allows our clients to find funding that is project-appropriate and will allow for sufficient cash flow. If you are considering becoming a first-time (or second or third time!) buyer, we can assist you.

SpringHill Suites in Texas Loan closes

GRP Capital is pleased to announce the loan closing for a SpringHill Suites by Marriott in south Texas.  A SpringHill Suites property is classified as an upper midscale chain by Smith Travel Research (STR). GRP Capital Managing Director Krishan Patel as well as GRP Capital President Rick Patel worked closely with the multiple partners, part of a syndicate who purchased the Texas hotel.  

Challenges and Strengths of a Syndicate Purchase: 

• Lots of moving parts: A syndicate purchase has many owners, and their percentage of ownership can vary. All lenders require at least some information on the members of the syndicate. Our dedicated loan processing department takes care of these details.

•  Working with Key Players: Because the partnership group was large, it was important to designate key players. The key players for this Springhill Suites received all of the emails from GRP Capital and then coordinated with their other partners when necessary. This kept the lines of communication clear and as simple as possible. And it worked!

•  Spreading Risk:  Syndicate purchases allow the risk of new businesses to be borne by a larger group of people. Syndicates can also mix experienced owners with new investors.

Krishan Patel upon closing this loan stated, “Closing this loan was very important to our clients. They were ready to enter this Texas market and had experience in the upper midscale niche of the hospitality industry. The partnership group was large, but the key players were organized and motivated and we enjoyed getting to know them.”  

Our GRP Capital team specializes in finding the right lender for each project. We save our clients time and money, as we research  the best choices for their funding sources. Our experience allows our clients to find funding that is project-appropriate and will allow for sufficient cash flow. If you are considering becoming a first-time (or second or third time!) buyer, we can assist you.

Fairfield Inn Refinance Closes

GRP Capital is pleased to announce the loan closing for a Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Southwest Florida. A Fairfield Inn & Suites property is classified as an upper midscale chain by Smith Travel Research (STR). Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, lenders have shown greater interest in budget properties. Therefore, closing this loan indicates that the lending market is widening. GRP Capital Managing Director Krishan Patel as well as GRP Capital President Rick Patel worked closely with the multiple partners and the lender to secure this complex, high value loan for our clients. 

Challenges and Strengths of an Upper Midscale Property: 

• Finding the correct pricing: A property like a Fairfield Inn & Suites competes among a larger spread. They compete with both the top and bottom echelon of properties. They have to find a way to price themselves to achieve solid ADR and occupancy, which requires constant attention to rates.

•  Proving value to the customers: Upper midscale properties, including this Fairfield Inn & Suites, have had to make changes during the pandemic. Some areas that required changes? A serve yourself breakfast buffet, open coffee areas in the atrium and even daily housekeeping duties.

•  Solid Management Practices:  Hotels that are in the upper midscale range typically face higher maintenance expenses and also multiple potential revenue sources, like meetings and conferences. It is critical for hands-on management to monitor expenses and capitalize on revenue potential.

Krishan Patel upon closing this loan stated, “Closing this loan was very important to our clients. They had kept the hotel functioning during the hard times of 2020 and 2021, but needed permanent financing ahead of a loan maturity. The partnership group was large and was comprised of very experienced investors and hoteliers, all of whom had input into the decision. Our job was to help organize the process, while allowing all of the partners to feel included in the closing.” 

Our GRP Capital team specializes in finding the right lender for each project. We save our clients time and money, as we research  the best choices for their funding sources. Our experience allows our clients to find funding that is project-appropriate and will allow for sufficient cash flow. If you are considering becoming a first-time (or second or third time!) buyer, we can assist you.

GRP Capital Team coming to AAHOAcon25

Our team is excited to attend the AAHOAcon25, to be held in New Orleans from April 15th through April 17th. We can’t wait to be in NoLa to network and celebrate with all of you.

What makes the AAHOA conference so important to us?

Making Connections with Clients

We love talking on the phone and emailing our clients and lending partners. We even learn from each other on Zoom and conference calls. But AAHOACon25 lets us see each other face to face. We have the opportunity to hang out with our clients, to hear about their successes and challenges and their dreams. We find the time to get to know our clients better and figure out how we can help these entrepreneurs realize their aspirations.

Building our Lender Network 

We also strengthen our connections with lenders. Lenders typically love our business model. What’s not to love? We partner with fabulous clients, pre-package their loans and do the bulk of the document collection during underwriting. Because we know the lenders’ wishlist for loans (size, geographic area, debt coverage, what types of hospitality properties, other industry loans), we only bring them what they are looking for. Adding to our lender network benefits everyone, providing more options for a variety of financing.

Learning Together

There is much to learn from many experts. We can take away a ton of knowledge from attending the huge variety of educational opportunities at the AAHOA conference. Even more important, our learning is enhanced by being surrounded by our peers and mentors, clients and lending partners, old friends and new acquaintances.

GRP Capital President Rick Patel notes, “Our team will again be at AAHOA Convention; it’s an important time in the hospitality industry and we want to make sure that we all meet and get to know the people who can use our assistance. It’s the highlight of our year in many ways.”

Are you wanting some one-on-one time or free business consulting during the conference? Make connections with our GRP Capital team members now and we can reserve time to explore your business concerns and future solutions.

Downtown Orlando AAHOAcon24

Entire GRP Capital Team coming to AAHOAcon24

Our entire team is excited to attend the AAHOAcon24, to be held in Orlando, Florida from April 2nd through April 5th. We are thrilled to be in our own Sunshine State to network and celebrate with all of you.

What makes the AAHOA conference so important to us?

Making Connections with Clients

We love talking on the phone and emailing our clients and lending partners. We even learn from each other on Zoom and conference calls. But AAHOACon24 lets us see each other face to face. We have the opportunity to hang out with our clients, to hear about their successes and challenges and their dreams. We find the time to get to know our clients better and figure out how we can help these entrepreneurs realize their aspirations.

Building our Lender Network 

We also strengthen our connections with lenders. Lenders typically love our business model. What’s not to love? We partner with fabulous clients, pre-package their loans and do the bulk of the document collection during underwriting. Because we know the lenders’ wishlist for loans (size, geographic area, debt coverage, what types of hospitality properties, other industry loans), we only bring them what they are looking for. Adding to our lender network benefits everyone, providing more options for a variety of financing.

Learning Together

There is much to learn from many experts. We can take away a ton of knowledge from attending the huge variety of educational opportunities at the AAHOA conference. Even more important, our learning is enhanced by being surrounded by our peers and mentors, clients and lending partners, old friends and new acquaintances.

GRP Capital President Rick Patel notes, “Our entire team will again be at AAHOA Convention; it’s an important time in the hospitality industry and we want to make sure that we all meet and get to know the people who can use our assistance. It’s the highlight of our year in many ways.”

Are you wanting some one-on-one time or free business consulting during the conference? Make connections with our GRP Capital team members now and we can reserve time to explore your business concerns and future solutions.

Entire GRP Capital Team coming to AAHOAcon23

Our entire team is excited to attend the AAHOAcon23, to be held in Los Angeles April 11-14th. California, here we come!

What makes the AAHOA conference so important to us?

Making Connections with Clients

We love talking on the phone and emailing our clients and lending partners. We even learn from each other on Zoom and conference calls. But AAHOACon23 lets us see each other face to face. We have the opportunity to hang out with our clients, to hear about their successes and challenges and their dreams. We find the time to get to know our clients better and figure out how we can help these entrepreneurs realize their aspirations.

Building our Lender Network 

We also strengthen our connections with lenders. Lenders typically love our business model. What’s not to love? We partner with fabulous clients, pre-package their loans and do the bulk of the document collection during underwriting. Because we know the lenders’ wishlist for loans (size, geographic area, debt coverage, what types of hospitality properties, other industry loans), we only bring them what they are looking for. Adding to our lender network benefits everyone, providing more options for a variety of financing.

Learning Together

There is much to learn from many experts. We can take away a ton of knowledge from attending the huge variety of educational opportunities at the AAHOA conference. Even more important, our learning is enhanced by being surrounded by our peers and mentors, clients and lending partners, old friends and new acquaintances.

GRP Capital President Rick Patel notes, “Our entire team will be at AAHOA Convention; it’s an important time in the hospitality industry and we want to make sure that we all meet and get to know the people who can use our assistance. It’s the highlight of our year in many ways.”

Are you wanting some one-on-one time or free business consulting during the conference? Make connections with our GRP Capital team members now and we can reserve time to explore your business concerns and future solutions.

Why the AAHOA Conference is important to us

We are coming to the AAHOA (Asian American Hotel Owners Association) Conference! The entire GRP team is excited to attend the 21st annual AAHOA Conference, to be held in Dallas in just a few weeks.

What makes the AAHOA conference so important to us?

Making Connections

We love talking on the phone and emailing our clients and lending partners. We even learn from each other on Zoom and conference calls. But AAHOACon is for us, being in “the room where it happens”. We have the opportunity to see our clients face to face, to hear about their successes and challenges and their dreams. We find the time to get to know our clients better and figure out how we can help these entrepreneurs realize their dreams.

Finding Strength 

It is no secret that the hospitality industry has borne the brunt of COVID-19 economically. Owners and funders alike have seen revenues drop to unheard of lows. Finally, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, it has been two years since our organization convened. During this time, it was easy to feel isolated or even disheartened. It will be exciting to envision progress and prosperity with a large group of like-minded people who are ready to be back in business. GRP Capital President Rick Patel notes, “Our entire team will be at AAHOA Convention; it’s an important time in the hospitality industry and we want to make sure that we all meet and get to know the people who can use our assistance.”

Learning Together

There is much to learn from many experts. We can take away a ton of knowledge from attending the huge variety of educational opportunities at the AAHOA conference. Even more important, our learning is enhanced by being surrounded by our peers and mentors, clients and lending partners, old friends and new acquaintances.

Would you like more information about securing a loan in this economic climate? Check out these links below: 

Becoming a Better Borrower

What Businesses do Lenders Like Now?

Property Maintenance: Maintaining Your Brand

Property maintenance is important for a number of reasons. If you have been deferring maintenance to focus on operations, to keep costs down during the recent economic uncertainty, act now! It’s time to recommit to making your property look excellent and perform in peak condition.

What’s so Important About Property Maintenance:

• Maintaining Your Property is Maintaining Your Brand: A property that is in good working order, that looks good cosmetically and operates appropriately reflects well on you as a business owner. This is important if you are ever looking to refinance or sell. In addition, guests and customers notice when their environment is looking tired. This affects word of mouth reputation about your business and can even show up in online reviews.

• Deferred maintenance may be allowing small problems to get worse: If you have experienced small water damage and were just waiting for the right time to tackle these repairs, stop delaying. Appraisers and customers can easily spot water damage and it is an obvious sign of neglect. Further, water damage can cause serious issues beyond cosmetic ones.

Other maintenance issues to consider include changing out plumbing and fixtures, upgrading furniture and soft packages (linens, bedding, curtains) as well as larger, more extensive renovations.

How Should You Choose Which Deferred Maintenance to Do First?

• Consult your franchise service director, if applicable Request a site visit. Seek the knowledge and mentorship that these organizations provide. Ask for help in prioritizing projects, determining what improves your property the most and increases your appraised value. Specifically ask which projects have the greatest return on capital.

• Create a detailed plan: First ask yourself if money were no object, what you would do to improve your property. Then figure out which of these items you can afford and which items retain or add the most value. Next, determine how long each project would last.

• Prioritize and Act: Create a calendar with all scheduled future maintenance, keeping notes on the budget and the timeline to complete each component. You know your property best. Work around its high and low seasons to determine the best timeline. Line up your contractors and workers and get to work!

Building Funds for CapEx and Utilizing them:

If you were in the position to have a Capital Expenditures (CapEx) fund prior to the pandemic, it’s time to start spending that fund. While you may have been focusing only on debt service and minimizing operating expenses, you can now change gears.

If you have never set aside monies for CapEx, start now. We recommend designating 4% of your budget for CapEx. Further, we recommend setting aside money in a segregated fund, so that you can build up this nest egg and use it. These funds will be included in your balance sheet as an asset until you spend it.

If you are considering a loan for purchase or refinance and would like to discuss your plans for project maintenance or developing a CapEx budget and timeline, feel free to contact our team.  

GRP client buys La Quinta from large corporate seller

GRP Capital is pleased to announce the purchase of a La Quinta Inn & Suites in Southwest Florida from a large corporate seller. GRP Capital continues to help other qualified buyers who are purchasing La Quinta’s across the nation!

Krishan Patel , GRP Capital Managing Director, was pleased to close this loan. He stated, “This corporate seller has been in the news for their sales of multiple hotel properties. They have a very particular way of doing business. We were able to work closely with their representatives. As a result, our clients took possession of their hotel. They complimented us on the smooth and speedy closing. We are ready to assist other clients who see these assets on the market and are ready to add them to their portfolio.” 

Tips for Purchasing Property from a Large Corporate Seller: 

• Do your due diligence:  Research the property, its profitability and its market share. Try to ascertain why the corporation is putting the property on the market. If you can, utilize published corporate documents. Try to determine if there are any significant issues that brought these properties to the cutting board.

•  Be Organized and Focused: Prepare yourself for the sale, even before you extend an offer.  Your personal and business financials should be in good order. File your taxes or request an extension. Demonstrate with appropriate documents how you will pay for the property with bank statements that show you have the funding on hand. Sometimes, large corporate sellers have a strict timeframe to closing, so any delays on your part could be costly.

•  Gather Your Professional Team: GRP Capital will help you by finding the right lender match. Of course, we will work directly with them and the corporate seller. At the same time, you’ll need to have strong support from your attorney, your accountant as well as trusted insurance and title professionals.

Our GRP Capital team specializes in finding the right lender for each project. We save our clients time and money, as we research  the best choices for their funding sources. Our experience allows our clients to find funding that is project-appropriate and will allow for sufficient cash flow. If you are considering becoming a first-time (or second or third time!) buyer, we can assist you.