Greg Friedman and Mitul Patel form Peachtree Hotel Group as a family office to invest in premium-branded select service hotels.
Peachtree launched complementary divisions to develop and operate hotels, Peachtree Hospitality Development and Peachtree Hospitality Management, respectively. Over the next decade, the company continues to rapidly grow its portfolio of limited- and select-service hotels, becoming one of the nation's fastest-growing hotel acquisition, management, development and ownership groups in premium-branded hotels under the Marriott, Starwood, Hilton, Hyatt, and InterContinental Hotel group flags.
Jatin Desai joins Peachtree as managing principal chief investment officer and chief financial officer. The company expands investment offerings beyond equity investing into credit investments, acquiring debt positions secured by hotel and other real estate assets. As the Great Financial Crisis took hold, Peachtree implemented a distressed investment strategy and invested in 47 distressed hotels.
Peachtree launched Stonehill, a direct commercial real estate lending division, to focus on debt originations and note acquisitions. Stonehill focuses on transitional assets and sectors of the credit market that traditionally have had more limited access to financing, eventually becoming a top 10 U.S. commercial real estate hotel lender as ranked by the Mortgage Bankers Association ("MBA").
Peachtree Group reorganized from a family office to a vertically integrated private equity firm. The company launched its first investment vehicle focused on acquiring and originating debt investments in select-service hotels.
Peachtree launched its first discretionary equity investment vehicle to acquire and develop premium-branded hotels and other commercial real estate assets.
Peachtree launches Revive Land Group, a land development division focused on designing, entitling and developing residential and mixed-use projects. Revive has since transacted on over $50MM of real estate, consisting of over 1,100 residential lots.
Stonehill PACE was established as a direct lender focusing on property assessed clean energy for diverse commercial real estate asset classes. Over time, it evolved into one of the prominent CPACE providers in the U.S., securing over $600 million in CPACE financing. Also, Peachtree initiated a mortgage Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) specializing in financing income-generating real estate. This REIT's scope involved acquiring or originating mortgages and mortgage-backed securities. The company further expanded its endeavours by investing into hotel development within Qualified Opportunity Zones. This strategic move aimed to leverage the tax deferral benefits offered by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
Peachtree PC Investors (PPCI), a FINRA-registered broker-dealer, becomes Peachtree's exclusive managing broker-dealer for the firms' investment offerings.
The onset of the pandemic triggered an unexpected "Black Swan" event, plunging the U.S. into a recession and significantly impacting various sectors, notably the commercial real estate industry, particularly in hospitality. In response, Peachtree initiated its most extensive investment initiative to date, focusing on real estate and related assets. This strategic move aimed to capitalize on the emerging opportunities resulting from market disruptions, operational inefficiencies, under-capitalizations, and expected cyclical rebounds. Throughout this period, the firm executed transactions totaling $3 billion in asset value, encompassing debt and equity investments. Notably, Peachtree acquired over 180 first mortgage notes as part of its investment activities, positioning itself within a diverse array of real estate assets.
Continued disruptions caused by the pandemic have led to financial strain among ownership groups and developers due to reduced access to capital. In response, the company introduces its twelfth sponsored investment vehicle, aiming to engage in opportunistic debt and equity investments. This strategic move capitalized on emerging investment opportunities within the hospitality industry and other real estate sectors that have been impacted, too.
Gala Media Capital was launched to finance the production of films and television
Daniel Siegel joins Stonehill as Principal CRE, bringing a team of experienced originators outside the hospitality industry to expand Peachtree's commercial lending business. In addition, Peachtree expands its array of high-quality, diversified investment strategies and vehicles by launching a 1031 Exchange DST program to enhance its tax deferral strategies in the hospitality sector. Due to Peachtree’s expansion into non-hospitality investments across the ecosystem, the company drops “Hotel” from the name and becomes Peachtree Group, continuing to grow beyond hospitality.
$9B+ Asset Value and $2.5B+ Capital Under Management
As the portfolio of commercial real estate investments expanded, Peachtree consolidated all affiliated companies, notably Stonehill, Stonehill PACE, and Peachtree Hospitality Management, under the Peachtree Group umbrella. The firm adds to its vertically integrated management platform with the addition of an EB-5 program to access low-cost capital, diversify its funding sources and invest in job-creating projects across the U.S. Doubling in size since 2020, Peachtree Group has achieved renowned success through investments based on its ability to deploy capital opportunistically through business cycles, taking advantage of its holistic view of the market.
In the latest Peachtree Point of View podcast episode, Daniel Savage, SVP of Investment & Strategy at Peachtree Group moderates a discussion with Peachtree CEO Greg Friedman and Executive Vice President of Investments Michael Ritz as they explore how the commercial real estate landscape has fundamentally shifted, creating unprecedented opportunities for special situations investing. The executives present a compelling case for deploying capital into special situations strategies—but the window won't remain open indefinitely.
The Market Reality: Strong Assets, Broken Capital Structures
Unlike previous cycles where distress stemmed from fundamental asset problems, today's opportunities are primarily driven by capital market volatility. As Michael Ritz explains: "Fundamentals generally across most commercial real estate assets outside of office are doing pretty well. But what we're seeing is just the heightened level of volatility" in capital markets.
This creates a unique environment where high-quality assets are trading at discounted valuations not because of operational issues, but due to financing constraints and capital structure challenges.
The Debt Market Disruption
The core driver of today's opportunity lies in the dramatic repricing of debt. With the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) rising from near-zero levels during the pandemic to current elevated rates, traditional financing has both become more expensive. Banks are now underwriting to lower loan-to-value ratios while demanding higher debt service coverage ratios, creating significant gaps incapital stacks.
Consider this: a simple cap rate expansion from 8% to 9% can reduce a $100 million asset's value to $89 million overnight. When combined with reduced loan-to-values, property owners face substantial liquidity shortfalls that create entry points for special situations investors.
Three Key Investment Buckets
Investors should focus on three primary opportunity areas:
The Hospitality Sweet Spot
Hotels present particularly compelling opportunities, with outsized exposure to near-term debt maturities due to years of "extend and pretend" financing. The sector faces approximately $15-20 billion in deferred capital expenditures, coinciding with assets built during the 2008 supply surge now requiring their typical 14-year renovation cycle.
Why Traditional Players Can't Compete
The opportunity exists precisely because few firms can provide the hybrid solutions these situations demand. Success requires capabilities across both equity and credit, enabling structured investments such as junior debt with contingent repayment ("hopenotes"), preferred equity positions, or debt-to-own strategies.
Why Special Situation Investing Works Now
For investors evaluating special situation investing opportunities, the key is partnering with operators who possess both the capital flexibility and operational expertise to navigate complex deal structures. The current environment rewards those who can move quickly on opportunities that traditional lenders and equity providers cannot address.
As Greg Friedman notes, this represents the biggest mispriced risk opportunity in commercial real estate today. The question for investors isn't whether these opportunities exist; it's whether they're positioned to capitalize on them before the market corrects.
For a deeper dive into the market dynamics and investment strategies discussed here, listen to the full conversation on the Peachtree Point of View podcast. The episode provides additional insights into how investors can navigate today's special situations landscape and position themselves for outsized returns in this unique market environment.
THIS IS NOT AN OFFER OR SOLICITATION TO PURCHASE ANY SECURITY. AN OFFERING IS MADE ONLY BY THE PRIVATE PLACEMENT MEMORANDUM. SECURITIES OFFERED THROUGH PEACHTREE PC INVESTORS, LLC MEMBER FINRA/SIPC.
ATLANTA (July 21, 2025) - Peachtree Group (“Peachtree”), a leading vertically integrated commercial real estate investment platform, today announced the launch of its Peachtree Special Situations Fund, a $250 million fund designed to unlock value in mispriced, high-quality hotel and other commercial real estate assets due to today’s capital market illiquidity rather than underlying fundamentals.
“We believe the next 12 to 18 months offer some of the most compelling risk-adjusted opportunities we’ve seen since the global financial crisis,” said Greg Friedman, managing principal and CEO of Peachtree. “As balance sheet stress and refinancing hurdles intensify in the hotel space and other commercial real estate sectors, Peachtree is uniquely positioned to deploy capital where it’s needed most, delivering attractive returns while providing real solutions for sponsors and lenders alike.”
With nearly $1 trillion in commercial real estate loans maturing in 2025 and hotels carrying some of the largest refinancing and capital expenditure burdens, Peachtree’s Special Situations Fund is positioned to step in where traditional capital has pulled back.
Many hotel and commercial real estate owners who financed properties in the zero-interest-rate era now face gaps in their capital stacksas rates remain elevated and liquidity tightens. Peachtree’s strategy bridges this gap by providing creative downside-protected capital solutions to reposition assets and unlock embedded value.
“This fund is about capitalizing on dislocation, not chaos,” Friedman said. “We’re targeting high-quality assets not distressed by systematic factors but by capital structure, and we’re doing it with the speed, creativity and certainty of execution that have defined Peachtree’s reputation for more than a decade.”
The Special Situations Fund targets investments that sit between value-add and opportunistic, combining attractive upside potential with meaningful downside protection. Core strategies include:
· Off-market acquisitions: Securing underperforming or mispriced hotels as well as select multifamily, student housing, self-storage and other commercial real estate sectors for repositioning and stabilization.
· Preferred and hybrid equity solutions: Providing flexible capital to sponsors needing liquidity for acquisitions, development or refinancing with structures designed to protect basis and enhance current yields.
· Distressed purchases from lenders: Acquiring assets directly from banks through deed-in-lieu or post-foreclosure transactions, often at discounts to outstanding loan balances and well below replacement cost.
Peachtree’s fully integrated platform spans direct lending, CPACE financing, development, acquisitions and capital markets and provides a unique lens into shifting market dynamics. Long standing relationships with community and regional banks and other stakeholders enable Peachtree to source high-value opportunities early before they reach the broader market.
“We’re the first call when a sponsor or lender needs a fast, reliable solution,” Friedman said. “Speed and surety of close are critical in this environment, especially when dealing with complex capital stacks and distressed notes.”
The fund’s geographic focus is nationwide, with significant deal flow expected in markets with strong demand fundamentals and recent pricing resets, including Texas, Florida and California. Peachtree expects to hold its first close within the next 60 to 90 days and complete the final close within its targeted 18 months following the initial close.
Contact:
Fund Information
THIS IS NOT AN OFFER OR SOLICITATION TO PURCHASE ANY SECURITY. AN OFFERING IS MADE ONLY BY THE PRIVATE PLACEMENT MEMORANDUM. SECURITIES OFFERED THROUGH PEACHTREE PC INVESTORS, LLC MEMBER FINRA/SIPC.
Every executive talks about competitive advantage, but most are voluntarily handicapping themselves 20-30% through chronic sleep deprivation. While your competition relies on caffeine and willpower, you should operate on optimized biology. Sleep optimization is a niche market that has grown into a $435 billion industry.
In a recent episode of Peachtree Point of View, Peachtree Group CEO Greg Friedman sits down with Dr. Anne Marie Morse, a neurologist and sleep medicine specialist, to explore how sleep optimization can become your most powerful performance tool.
Dr. Morse works with C-suite executives and competitive athletes who demand peak performance, and her insights challenge everything you think you know about time management and competitive advantage. As someone who treats rare sleep disorders while consulting with high performers globally, she reveals why your 4-6 hours of sleep might be the very thing preventing you from closing that next big deal.
"When you are chronically compromising your sleep, you start to forget the person who you optimally are and start to accept a lesser version of who you are, even if you still are viewed as a high performer," Dr. Morse explains. The science is clear: sleep-deprived executives take longer to complete tasks, make riskier decisions and miss opportunities that well-rested competitors capitalize on.
Key Takeaways:
Strategic Decision Making: Sleep deprivation compromises judgment and increases risk-taking behavior – precisely what you can't afford in high-stakes negotiations and market timing decisions
ROI on Rest: The 7-9 hours of sleep isn't lost productivity time – it's your competitive moat that allows you to work more efficiently and make better decisions than competitors operating on 4-6 hours
Travel Performance: Irregular sleep patterns from frequent travel don't just cause fatigue – they create inconsistent performance windows that can cost you deals and opportunities
Health as Wealth: Chronic sleep deprivation increases mortality risk and compromises cardiovascular health, potentially cutting short your most productive earning years
The conversation also explores practical time management strategies for busy executives, the strategic use of stimulants and why your bedtime routine might be sabotaging your sleep quality.
Ready to discover how sleep science can become your unfair advantage? Listen to the full episode of Peachtree Point of View to learn the specific strategies top performers use to optimize their circadian rhythms for peak decision-making windows.
Follow Peachtree Point of View on your favorite podcast platform for more insights on optimizing performance and identifying investment opportunities that others miss.