Articles for Developers

Consider these six critical issues to ensure its success. By Joel Greene Condo hotels are hybrid properties that have begun materializing in recent years everywhere from prime vacation destinations to mid-size cities across the U.S. and the world. Why the sudden proliferation of condo hotels? The main reason is that they make good financial sense […]
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Elaine Sahlins Senior Vice President HVS International — San Francisco As evidenced in our work on a number of condominium hotel or condo-hotel projects in the past few years, the success of a condominium project is not necessarily dictated by or related to the success of the underlying hotel’s performance. Most condominium projects are located […]
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By Anwar Elgonemy – Vice President, Jones Lang LaSalle, San Francisco How do Condo-Hotels Work? By no means a novelty, the condo-hotel model is showing resurgence due to rising condo prices and the current “Midas Touch” perception of residential real estate. The most successful condo-hotels are those built as hotels first and then as condominiums […]
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By Robert M. Chasnow During the 1970s and early 1980s, a few dozen condo hotel resorts were seen on some Hawaiian shores and Colorado ski slopes. Some were even SEC registered and came complete with an accountant’s table of revenue and profit projections, but disappointing investor returns, lawsuits and the Tax Reform Act of 1986 […]
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By: Gary Henkin (President, WTS International, Inc.) If you’re like most condo hotel and resort developers, it is likely that your site already has or will have a reasonably sophisticated exercise or fitness center for your guests. But have you considered adding spa services as well? Growth in the spa industry over the past five […]
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By Bart Bartholdt © 2005 Graham & Dunn PC General – The Condominium/Hotel Structure The development of condominium hotels (1), although not a new concept, has enjoyed increasing popularity recently in the hospitality industry. The appeal of a properly structured condo-hotel development from a developer’s perspective is easy to see – in a time of […]
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Beginning of a Real Estate Boom, Not an End By Bob Waun Outline The Case for Explosive Condo Hotel Sales Potential I. Why the Bubble Statistics fall short: a. The Bubble Debunked b. The Refinance/Renovation Effect c. The Redevelopment Effect d. The Currency Effect: Why Foreign Buyers Matter e. Why Interest Rates Matter II. The […]
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By Bill Haralson & Jeff Coy Over the past three years, we have written extensively about a significant evolution in the waterpark industry: the waterpark resort. As we have described the concept in previous articles, the waterpark resort involves the pairing of some type of lodging with an indoor waterpark. Other components may also be […]
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By Jeff Coy and Bill Haralson Hotels and resorts with indoor waterparks now total 104 in 2005 with 52 under construction and another 121 in development. Three major ski resorts have opened or will soon open indoor waterparks to create weather-proof vacations and capture year-round revenues. In 2004, resorts achieved higher occupancies and revenues than […]
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By Joel Greene In a condo hotel, some or all of the property’s units are sold to individual buyers with the expectation that they will place those units in the hotel’s rental program, and the revenues and expenses will be split in some fashion between the unit owners and the hotel. This weaving together of […]
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Developers Must Comply with Strict SEC Rules or Face Consequences Nearly 1.7 million people in the United States own a vacation home or a second home, defined as property that they use on a seasonal or periodic basis. Many people purchase a second home expecting to rent it out when they are not using it […]
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by Gregory Bohan It has become virtually impossible to attend an industry conference, read an industry trade journal or peruse one of the online industry sources without coming across commentary relating to the condo hotel development boom we’re witnessing in certain parts of the country. With all the hype, one would think that the concept […]
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By Stephen Rushmore, MAI, CHA, ORE Hotel (and condo hotel) owners throughout the world are starting to realize the benefits of utilizing a recognized hotel brand to create an instant identity and attract customers to their properties. For more than 40 years, franchising has been the most popular method for obtaining a hotel affiliation without […]
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By Jim Mouzourakis We all have heard by now how condominiums are subsidizing five-star hotel developments. Truth be told, this may be somewhat overstated. Condos are indeed the most economically viable land use and a big driver in luxury hotel development, with values often achieving $1,000 to $2,000 per square foot. But a hotel brand […]
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Feasibility studies help hoteliers and lenders determine the viability of hotel and condo hotel projects By Steven J. Belmonte Riding the coattails of a slow, but sure, return to economic stability, the lodging industry is making a comeback. And we all know what that means – more and more developers and owners will be looking […]
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By Peter Yesawich Resort real-estate is the current rage for affluent consumers, even more so than the “next” destination to be discovered. The reason is obvious: Property values in some of the most popular resort destinations have escalated dramatically in recent years, oftentimes at higher rates than those observed in the hottest residential markets. The […]
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Hotel-condo projects provide the pampered perks of a fine boutique hotel, along with all of the comforts of home. By Blaine Weber Weber + Thompson Reprinted from the Daily Journal of Commerce, Oct. 26, 2006 Suddenly omnipotent in Seattle, hotel-condominium projects are sprouting like wildflowers. It is a significant trend that is changing the urban […]
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By Anthony DiGuiseppe Founder and President DiGuiseppe Architecture and Interior Design Condo-hotels are “hot.” That said, they are complex instruments, part hotel and part residence. Therefore, it’s important that developers consider a well-prepared checklist of items as they embark upon the designing and building of what they hope will be a successful condo-hotel property. Item […]
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