Developer retires construction loan, inks creative interim financing at attractive rate
TAMPA, Fla. – Mission Capital Advisors announced that its Debt and Equity Finance team has structured a creative $53-million non-recourse ramp loan for The Godfrey Hotel and Cabanas Tampa, a newly renovated, 276-key, waterfront hotel located at 7700 West Courtney Campbell Causeway in Tampa, Florida.
The Mission Capital team of Jordan Ray, Ari Hirt, Alex Draganiuk and Justin Hunt represented an affiliate of Oxford Capital Group in securing the loan from Marathon Asset Management. The financing will be used to repay the property’s construction loan and return additional capital to the sponsor.
The waterfront property is a Tampa icon that was once owned by the New York Yankees, and served as the club’s Spring Training home for several decades. In 2015, Oxford acquired the hotel with plans for a comprehensive redevelopment that would include creating Tampa’s premier lifestyle hospitality property, replete with top-of-the-line amenities and the recently opened WTR Pool & Grill. An upscale pool, cabana club, bar and corporate event space, WTR provides guests with an unmatched experience of luxury in a modern tropical setting, featuring handcrafted cocktails, exquisite dining and entertainment in a poolside area overlooking Tampa Bay.
“Oxford bought this property with the vision to create a unique hotel that has the best poolside venue in the Tampa market,” said Ray. “Just a month after the WTR Pool & Grill opened, there is a lot of action at the hotel and the pool, and we were able to repay the construction financing and replace it with a ramp loan with earn-outs at very attractive terms.”
In addition to the pool and cabanas, Oxford’s comprehensive repositioning campaign included the addition of 15 guest rooms; complete renovations of existing guestrooms, with hardwood flooring, marble countertops and other top-of-the-line amenities; and a complete renovation of the lobby, including the addition of a café and wine bar.
“Ramp loans are based in large part on projecting the property’s path to stability, and that adds a wrinkle of complexity that not all lenders can underwrite,” said Hirt. “However, Oxford’s long standing track record, as well as the incredible product they’ve created at the property, gave capital providers extreme confidence in the sponsor’s business plan. We produced a healthy market with several lenders vying for the deal, and we ultimately closed this floating-rate loan with very strong proceeds.”
Added Hirt: “The loan we ultimately closed is structured with an immediate return on equity as well as an additional earn-out once certain benchmarks are reached, which will bring the total proceeds to the full $53 million.”
Oxford Capital Group, LLC is a national hospitality focused real estate investment, development and management firm. Oxford Hotels and Resorts, LLC is its wholly owned hotel operating and branding affiliate. Oxford, its affiliates, and principals have been involved in approximately $3 billion of real estate and private equity investments, including approximately 13,000 hotel rooms and over 2,000 senior housing units. Among the firm’s most impressive recent developments is Essex on the Park in Chicago, which includes the expansion and comprehensive redevelopment of the historic Essex Inn on Michigan Avenue in Chicago and the ground-up construction of an adjacent 479-unit luxury apartment building. The property, whose $170-million construction loan was also arranged by Mission Capital, is slated to open in spring of 2019. For information, visit www.oxford-capital.com or www.ohrllc.com.
About Mission Capital Advisors
Founded in 2002, Mission Capital Advisors, LLC is a leading national, diversified real estate capital markets solutions firm with offices in New York, Florida, Texas, California and Alabama. The firm delivers value to its clients through an integrated platform of advisory and transaction management services across commercial and residential loan sales; debt, mezzanine and JV equity placement; and loan portfolio valuation. Since its inception, Mission Capital has advised a variety of leading financial institutions and real estate investors on more than $65 billion of loan sale and financing transactions, as well as in excess of $14 billion of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac transactions, positioning the firm strongly to provide unmatched loan portfolio valuation services for both commercial and residential assets. Mission Capital’s seasoned team of industry-leading professionals is committed to achieving clients’ business objectives while maintaining the highest levels of integrity and trust. For more information, visit www.www.missioncap.com.