Practice Areas & Industries: Arnold & Porter LLP

Practice/Industry Group Overview

The hospitality industry is a principal focus of our real estate practice. We represent developers, owners, and investors in hospitality projects throughout the US. We routinely work with full-service hotels in major metropolitan areas, as well as on matters concerning a range of clients from individual, limited-service hotels to large-scale resorts. Our attorneys have in-depth experience in real estate transactions, including acquisitions and sales, new development, construction and renovation, debt and equity financing, leasing, management, and franchising of resort and hotel properties. We also represent clients in workouts, restructurings, and dispositions of distressed hotel properties, which often involve bankruptcy proceedings.

Hotel brands are increasingly exerting an influence on hospitality deals. Our lawyers are particularly adept at helping clients successfully structure management, franchise, and leasing arrangements. As the ownership of hospitality projects shifts to public markets, we counsel clients in tax and securities implications of REITs and other forms of public ownership. Our extensive experience in traditional and creative methods of capital formation includes mortgages, IPOs, spin-offs to REITs, and M&A of properties and companies. We also represent hotel and resort clients on their corporate, transactional, and public finance matters, including purchase and sale of hotels and resorts; negotiation and preparation of conveyance documents and due diligence relating to financial, environmental, and governmental issues; taxation and organizational matters; antitrust concerns; and public and corporate financing for infrastructure improvements.

Our firm also counsels resort companies, including a number of the largest ski resorts in the US, on regulatory, environmental, and transactional issues. We have particular proficiency in ski-area expansions and public-lands issues associated with recreational development. Our attorneys also represent resort companies in employment matters, foreign investment, contract negotiations, public and corporate financings, energy matters, environmental issues, land-exchange agreements, real estate development and litigation, housing issues, and government permits. We regularly oversee the work of environmental consultants, actively represent resorts in wide-ranging litigation, and counsel resort clients in enforcement issues involving safety and environmental regulations.