Hospitality and Leisure

Manage disruption and benefit from new trends in leisure

This competitive sector continues to adapt and evolve. The need for greater sustainability, disruptive new technologies, and trends like wellness, personalization of guest services and experiential leisure are reshaping the landscape. Our global reach, sector experience and local insight mean we understand the complexities and can advise on effective strategies.

This industry has a huge range of inter-related requirements and challenges. We can help you to manage this complexity, wherever your business is located. We help you to achieve your business objectives and mitigate risks.

We were one of the first legal firms to develop a global group dedicated to hospitality and leisure legal issues. We know the industry, its key players, and business and legal concerns in all tiers of the market. We’ve worked on some of the biggest transactions in the industry.

“They have a strong depth and breadth of experience and the capacity and commerciality to deal with large, complex transactions on tight timetables. ”

Chambers 2021

We act for a broad spectrum of industry clients. These include the owners of hospitality assets, leading global, regional and national hotel and resort businesses, leisure and sports operators, online gaming and gambling establishments, hospitality and catering organizations, and promoters and developers of major sporting events including the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games. We also advise developers, investors, financiers and banks operating in the sector.

Our clients value our deep sector experience and full-service, solution‐driven approach. Combined with an innovative approach to cost management, this allows us to meet a diverse range of needs, whether that means day‐to‐day operations or large and complex multi-jurisdictional transactions.

Our legal advice includes acquisitions and disposals, cross-border investments, management agreements and franchising, development, environmental and planning, finance, land use and government relations, leasing, litigation, REIT representation, securitization and other capital markets and tax.

Awards and recognition

Experience

Advising Blackstone Real Estate on its GBP3 billion acquisition of Bourne Leisure, which operates the Havens, Butlin’s and Warner Leisure Hotels brands across 56 sites in the UK.
Advising China Travel Services on its acquisition of UK-based Kew Green Hotels Limited comprising a portfolio of 54 hotels more than 40 of which were operated under the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express brands, making it the brand’s largest franchisee in Europe.
Advising Marriott International across the spectrum of its business and operations, including being lead counsel on the development and global roll out of its Homes and Villas by Marriott International (HVMI) program, advising on the risks, regulatory environment and contractual arrangements of operating in the sharing economy.
Advising Starwood Capital on the acquisition of several hotels across Europe and in the preparation for sale and sale of several hotels in the UK.
Advising Treasure Island owner Phil Ruffin in the USD825 million acquisition of MGM Resorts International’s Circus Circus hotel and casino property on the Las Vegas Strip.
Advising Principal Real Estate on the sale of a European hotel portfolio consisting of 11 high-quality, city center properties to Axa for EUR545 million.
Advising Shanghai Jin Jiang International Hotels, the second-largest hotel group in China, on its strategic investment in Plateno Group for approximately USD1.3 billion, giving it an 81% stake in the company. The deal values Plateno Group at CNY10.8 billion.
Mansueto Office in a joint venture with Lodging Capital Partners to acquire the Waldorf Astoria Chicago, a luxury full-service hotel in downtown Chicago. The 215- room hotel includes a branded restaurant and valet parking services and is part of a residential and retail condominium.
Advising British Airways and Virgin Atlantic (separately) on global catering outsourcing agreements.
Advising HIG Capital on a number of hotel transactions, including their acquisition of hotels in Norway, Germany and the UK and associated joint venture with Hamilton Hotel Partners, as well as investments in resort hotels in Greece.
Advising Hyatt Hotel Corporation as lead global outside intellectual property counsel, including the management of its global IP portfolio and advising the company on strategic relationships across Europe via franchise.