Real Estate

Hosted by ABI's Real Estate Committee The hospitality sector is one of the commercial real estate asset classes that has endured profound changes since the pandemic, both positive and negative. Pent-up demand for travel, flexible work schedules and strong consumer spending are driving demand in some sectors, while remote work has fundamentally changed business travel, which is straining occupancy and profits at properties that historically have relied on this steady stream of business. There are significant pockets of distress among hotel owners, particularly those facing maturing mortgage loans at a time of higher borrowing costs and more stringent lender underwriting requirements. This is against a backdrop of slowing hotel industry revenue growth, sticky inflationary pressures on labor and operating expenses, and sharp increases in property insurance costs. ABI's Real Estate Committee is pleased to provide this opportunity to dive into the hospitality sector with 45-year industry veteran Frank Nardozza, chairman and CEO of REH Capital Partners, LLC, a national investment and advisory services firm focused on hospitality investment, finance and consulting. He previously served as the National and Global Real Estate and Hospitality Consulting Practice Leader for KPMG. The program will conclude with a live question-and-answer session.

Commercial real estate continues to be affected by the modification in work culture brought on by COVID-19 restritctions. The market is bracing for a record amount of maturing loans, boosting the prospect of a surge in defaults as property owners are forced to refinance empty or nearly empty office spaces at higher rates. This panel will address the impact of these issues and what they may mean for investors and restructuring professionals.

This panel will consider ethical issues in real estate bankruptcies involving candor to the court as to out-of-court happenings, considerations for debtor’s counsel and advisors in parsing entity vs. guarantor, and other insider issues.

This panel of business experts will examine post-pandemic trends in the distressed real estate market. The panelists will analyze what is different about this cycle compared to prior cycles — including its impact by asset class — and will provide their predictions on the future of distressed real estate markets, as well as their thoughts on market recovery and potential challenges.

This panel of experienced investors and advisors will discuss practical considerations, guidance, insights and perspectives on the current market, as well as prospects for investment opportunities in the distressed real estate sector.

Property valuation is a major issue affecting all real estate asset classes in today’s market, impacting lending and sale transactions, litigation and development transactions. We’ve been here before, but what’s different this time? This panel will address key issues related to valuation, including how far values dropped, and what will drive them up; the assets and asset classes that have been the most impacted by value declines; some of the elements having the biggest impact on values, and why; the techniques most commonly used to value distressed properties in today’s market; and the due diligence best practices for minimizing risks in acquisitions and financing transactions.

This panel will focus on ways in which different levels of government can influence and support the revitalization of distressed real estate, from policy, process and funding perspectives. The panelists will discuss opportunities for public and private partnerships, as well as the interplay between state and local mandates and policies, and will share examples of property revitalization projects. The panelists also will explore policies and tools that aim to address housing availability and reduce homelessness.

This panel will discuss a broad range of topics that arise in real estate-driven bankruptcy cases, including issues for landlords with respect to post-petition lease restructuring and the disposition of personal property by debtor tenants; determining the appropriate cramdown interest rates for different real estate sectors in a volatile interest rate environment; special issues implicated in bankruptcies of hospitality-focused real properties; and the particular challenges involved in restructuring partially developed properties.

Energy Megatrends create volatility in the energy market. In 2024, elections, various regional conflicts, concerns about climate change, and the feasibility and marketability of various forms of energy make the valuation of “energy” a potentially tenuous endeavor. This session provides a how-to guide for five-year business plans, capital-adequacy tests and cash-flow tests across the energy industry, and discusses how to meet the bar for stress-testing under Judge Shannon’s Kravitz v. Sampson Energy decision. Retail- Douglas E. Spelfogel Jonathan P. Goulding Surbhi Gupta Hon. Thomas M. Horan Commercial Real Estate- David Levy Navin Nagrani Specialty Health Care Providers/Pharma- Stuart Neiberg David Light Kelly E. Singer Sidney S. Welch Energy- Lorie R. Beers Kenneth J. Malek Matthew W. Moran