Article Originally Featured in HotelBusiness.com
Private credit lenders have increasingly stepped into the void left by traditional banks, but not all are built the same, especially when it comes to hospitality. For sponsors like ARK Holdings, a seasoned hotel operator with a Florida-focused portfolio, finding a capital partner who understands the nuances of hotel operations and the complexities of today's capital markets is critical.
Peachtree Group recently demonstrated its ability to structure flexible, sponsor-aligned financing solutions through two bridge loans in Tallahassee, Florida: a $17.4 million floating-rate bridge loan for the 122-room Hampton Inn & Suites and a $12.75 million fixed-rate bridge loan for the 99-room Hilton Garden Inn. ARK Holdings owns both properties and these transactions are a case study of how Peachtree's multiple capital buckets allow customized structuring based on business plans, market conditions and sponsor objectives.
For the Hampton Inn & Suites, Peachtree provided a three-year floating-rate loan with two 12-month extension options, an ideal fit for a property that recently completed a multi-million-dollar PIP in September 2024. The Sponsor will use the term to stabilize performance, with plans to refinance into permanent financing. The floating structure offers flexibility to benefit from market rate movement and aligns with the short-term nature of the repositioning strategy.
In contrast, the Hilton Garden Inn received a five-year fixed-rate loan, a structure designed to support longer-term asset management and cash flow certainty following its more substantial renovation completed in August 2024. With both assets operating under the same Sponsor and adjacent to each other, ARK Holdings will benefit from cost savings through shared management and operations, enhancing overall performance.
Both loans reflect Peachtree's conviction in the Tallahassee market, which is poised to benefit from renewed government-related travel and corporate demand. Market ADR is expected to grow in line with inflation, and both hotels are projected to outperform their comp sets, a testament to the Sponsor's operational strength and capital investment.
More importantly, these deals reflect a deeper truth about hospitality-focused private credit: experience matters. Peachtree's deep roots in hotel ownership and operations allow it to underwrite beyond the spreadsheet, taking into account brand standards, PIP timelines and market seasonality. This understanding results in greater alignment with sponsors and better execution throughout the loan lifecycle.
At a time when capital markets remain selective, it is invaluable to have a lender who not only provides capital but also understands how hotels actually run. For sponsors navigating renovation-heavy business plans or managing complex portfolios, working with a lender like Peachtree Group, who brings operational know-how and flexible capital, is a strategic advantage. In a market where one-size-fits-all financing no longer works, Peachtree's approach proves that tailoring capital to the business plan is not just smart; it's essential.
Peachtree Group is a direct balance sheet lender focused on funding first mortgage bridge loans, mezzanine loans, preferred equity investments, and commercial property assessed clean energy (CPACE) financing. Jared Schlosser is responsible for Peachtree's hotel originations platform and its CPACE program.
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ATLANTA (April 3, 2025) – Peachtree Group (“Peachtree”) ranked as the eighth-largest investor-driven commercial real estate lender in the U.S., according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) 2024 loan origination rankings. In 2024, Peachtree deployed approximately $1.6 billion in commercial real estate credit investments.
“With a substantial volume of maturities on the horizon and trillions in debt coming due through 2028, the current environment increasingly favors private credit lenders like Peachtree,” said Greg Friedman, managing principal and CEO of Peachtree. “We’re well-positioned to capitalize on these opportunities and help close the funding gap left by traditional capital sources.”
The MBA also ranked Peachtree as the seventh-largest U.S. commercial real estate hotel lender, marking its fourth consecutive year in the top ten. The firm also earned rankings across the office, multifamily, retail and industrial sectors.
“The hospitality sector continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience, driven by strong demand fundamentals,” said Michael Harper, president of hotel lending at Peachtree. “We remain committed to supporting owners and operators with expansion, renovation and refinancing needs—leveraging our strategic capital deployment and adaptability to drive long-term value.”
Amid ongoing market volatility, Peachtree deployed nearly $500 million in credit transactions during the 2025 first quarter and is on track to exceed its 2024 production targets. Notable originations this year include:
· $59.0 million bridge loan – AC / Element Hotel, San Antonio, Texas
· $51.5 million bridge loan and Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE) financing – Reserve at Vinedo, Paso Robles, Calif.
· $48.3 million bridge loan and CPACE financing – Yorkshire Apartments, Tumwater (Olympia), Wash.
· $43.0 million bridge loan – Home2 Suites / Tru Hotel, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
· $42.8 million bridge loan – The Jax Apartments, Monroe, Ga
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“Our fourth consecutive top 10 year underscores the strength of our credit platform and our ability to lend through business cycles. These results reflect our reputation for reliability and delivering certainty of execution, even in the most volatile of market conditions,” Harper added.
As a direct commercial real estate lender, Peachtree offers a full suite of financing solutions, including permanent loans, bridge loans, mezzanine financing, CPACE (Commercial Property-Assessed Clean Energy) loans and preferred equity investments. The firm further expanded its capabilities last year by launching a Triple Net Lease (NNN) financing program to better support sponsors.
Peachtree reaffirmed its position as a leader in CPACE financing in 2024, setting a firm record with 22 transactions totaling $316.6 million. The CPACE team also recently surpassed $1 billion in total transaction volume—an achievement few in the lending industry can claim—further solidifying Peachtree’s success in expanding its lending platform and providing innovative financing solutions.
MBA's annual originations rankings report is a comprehensive set of listings of 149 commercial/multifamily mortgage originators, their 2024 volumes and their different roles.
Peachtree Group originated a $43.0MM recapitalization of the 218-room dual-branded Home2 Suites/Tru Fort Lauderdale Downtown. The floating-rate note carries a 36-month term with two extensions. The sponsor, Driftwood Capital, acquired the site in 2016 and developed the hotels, which opened in November 2020.
The dual-branded hotels (315 NW 1st Avenue) are in Fort Lauderdale's Flagler Village submarket, near key corporate and leisure demand drivers. Fort Lauderdale benefits from strong long-term fundamentals, bolstered by Florida’s position as the nation’s leader in net income migration. Downtown Fort Lauderdale has experienced significant growth, with a 35.4% population increase from 2020 to 2023. The area is home to approximately 200 company headquarters and is well-positioned for the continued return to office, with more than 70% of office workers back—20 percentage points above the national average. Key demand drivers include the Broward County Convention Center, which is expanding to become the nation’s sixth largest, and Port Everglades, one of the world's busiest cruise ports. These factors, combined with the region’s economic resilience, make Fort Lauderdale a compelling market.
With limited new supply and growing demand, Fort Lauderdale's market dynamics favor ADR growth. Expansion of the convention center, increasing cruise port activity, and strong economic fundamentals further support sustained demand.
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Peachtree Group originated a $59.0MM recapitalization of the 343-room dual-branded AC Hotel and Element San Antonio Riverwalk. The floating-rate note carries a 36-month term with two, 12-month extensions. The sponsors, Winston Hospitality and Concord Hospitality Enterprises, purchased former office towers—Riverview Towers—in December 2019 and spent two and a half years undergoing a multi-phase, adaptive reuse renovation to transform them into dual-branded hotels, which opened in 2022.
Located adjacent to San Antonio's famed Riverwalk, the #1 attraction in Texas, the hotels benefit from the city's strong tourism market, drawing over 39 million visitors annually, and its status as the third-fastest-growing city in the U.S., with a 3.8% population increase from 2020 to 2022. They remain the newest hotels in their competitive set.
The AC Hotel and Element are the first new Marriott-branded hotels in the Riverwalk Historic District since 2011, standing out in a downtown market where extended-stay offerings are predominantly Hilton-branded. As premium Marriott properties, they benefit from access to the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program, the world's largest travel loyalty program, boasting over 200 million members and growing.
