A prominent boutique hotel in the heart of Miami came to market at a moment when the sponsor — an international investor — saw an opportunity to upscale the asset through conversion to Marriott's Autograph Collection. Bauta Capital Advisory was originally engaged for acquisition financing, and was subsequently re-engaged by the client to structure the conversion capital after successful execution of the first mandate.
The sponsor was well-capitalized and commercially sophisticated, but had limited familiarity with the nuances of U.S. commercial real estate lending — lender underwriting criteria, typical reserve structures, flag-specific requirements, and the documentation cadence that drives closings. What looks routine to a domestic operator can become a meaningful execution risk without a guide through the process.
BCA ran the acquisition financing from lender selection managing multiple workstreams in parallel. The client remains in continious dialogue with BCA working on a variety of projects, financing initatives as they enhance their portfolio in the United States.