Meet the Money®, the Premier Hotel Conference: May 3 to 5, 2010

For 20 years now, my partner Jim Butler of JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group®, the premier hospitality practice in a full-service law firm, has been hosting the Meet the Money® Conference for hoteliers and lenders to the hospitality industry. This year’s theme, “Unlocking the Game-changers for the Coming Recovery,” focuses on the hotel industry’s rebound and will feature more than 100 industry speakers and more than 25 sessions over a three-day period.

This is a critical time for institutional lenders, as opportunities (and disappointments) arise from on-going hotel workouts and foreclosures and from CMBS loans that are coming due. Client commitments preclude me from participating this year, but for those subscribers who hold outstanding loans secured by hotel properties or who are interested in hotel financing, this conference is a must. The conference will hold panels and discussions on CMBS loans as well as other timely topics such as receivership, financing and investment strategies, revenue management, repositioning, public-private partnerships, timeshare and asset management. For instance, there will be a panel discussion focused on hotel receiverships that will be quite enlightening and will bring attendees up to date on current developments.

Many lenders have been burned by hospitality loans in recent years, and most lenders continue to shy away from lending in the hospitality field. One of these days, however, the tide will turn and there will again be tremendous competition in lending to hotels. The Meet the Money® Conference is the place to learn, listen and exchange ideas with a sophisticated audience to determine whether it is time to consider making loans to great properties that have been re-priced at lower, realistic values.

And for those workout professionals who are dealing with troubled hotels (you are fortunate if your institution is not), you will be hard-pressed to find a better collection of high-quality speakers addressing the ongoing weakness in the market. In particular, the blue-ribbon panel of experienced hotel receivers will be moderated by my partner, Marty Taylor, so it is sure to be informative. I also highly recommend the panel on “Management Agreements,” which is anchored by my partner, Bob Braun. Bob has an amazing depth of knowledge about hotel management agreements and draws on a wealth of experience in confronting and resolving problems that arise in this field.

Meet the Money® will take place May 3-5, 2010, at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel in Los Angeles. For more information, to register, or to learn how to become a sponsor or exhibitor, visit www.meetthemoney.com.

This is Dick Rogan, bank lawyer and author of www.SpecialAssetsLawyer.com, signing off for now. Join us again soon to check out what’s new in the World of Workouts.

Year after year, day after day, workout professionals in the know rely on JMBM’s Special Assets Team™ to handle problem commercial and real estate loans. Whatever problem loans you have, chances are, we’ve seen it. Give us a call.

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Our Perspective. JMBM represents commercial banks, special servicers, private lenders, asset-based lenders, hard money lenders and factors. We help lender clients throughout the United States craft business and legal solutions to their commercial and real estate troubled loans. For more information, please contact Dick Rogan at RRogan@JMBM.com, or (415) 398-8080.

Richard A. Rogan is Chair of the JMBM Special Assets Team™. He also serves as the co-managing partner of JMBM’s San Francisco office and co-chair of its Bankruptcy Practice Group.

JMBM’s Special Assets Team™ has represented hundreds of lenders in California and throughout the United States. We regularly appear in bankruptcy courts, district courts and superior courts. We are proud to serve as trusted counsel and advisors who look for a business solution and try to help lenders find the best possible resolution for each troubled loan. Whether a loan is being newly documented, restructured or litigated, JMBM’s Special Assets Team™ has the skill, know-how and experience to solve your problem in a practical no-nonsense way.

NOTE TO CONSUMERS: As a matter of Firm policy, JMBM does not represent individual consumers who have disputes with their lenders. Many lenders have specialized consumer workout professionals who have the time to help consumer borrowers. There are many fine attorneys who specialize in representing consumers. Individuals with consumer lending problems should contact a lawyer or law firm who specializes in consumer insolvency and bankruptcy in their local area. When in doubt, we suggest you contact your local bar association’s Lawyer Referral Service. [For example, see Bar Association of SF or LA County Bar Association Lawyer Referral Services]

JMBM does not provide legal advice to consumers, and cannot respond to consumer inquiries.