Thayer Tops $1.5 billion in Sales
ORLANDO, FL, January 10, 2005. Thayer Lodging Group has signed a binding agreement to sell the 1,582-room Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, Florida to Orlando-based CNL Hotels & Resorts, Inc. for $753 million capping $1.5 billion in sales over nine month period.
"We are very pleased that the sale represents a compounded annual return to Thayer's investors in excess of 40%," said Thayer co-founder and Chairman Frederic V. Malek. "The sale of this extraordinary luxury resort hotel is consistent with our investment strategy and capitalizes on a very strong capital market and one of the best performing major hotel markets in the United States."
The award-winning Grande Lakes Resort was developed by Thayer and Marriott International, with construction commencing in the spring of 2001. The Resort opened on time and on budget to accolades in July 2003 and has performed exceedingly well since its opening. It contains a 584-room Ritz Carlton Hotel, a 998-room JW Marriott Hotel, over 125,000 square feet of meeting space, a 40,000 square foot spa, and an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Greg Norman, all located on a 500-acre site at the headwaters of the Everglades.
According to Lee Pillsbury, co-founder and CEO of Thayer, "Grande Lakes reflects the vision of Marriott and Thayer to create a world-class luxury resort in Orlando on a grand scale. The spectacular success of Thayer's investment is strong evidence of the wisdom of this vision."
Eastdil Realty was retained by Thayer as an advisor to the deal, Ritz Carlton will continue to manage the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Spa and Golf Course and Marriott International will continue to manage the JW Marriott Hotel.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda,Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands, including: The Ritz-Carlton®, BVlgari®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Delta Hotels and Resorts®, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Gaylord Hotels®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Courtyard®, Residence Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, TownePlace Suites®, Protea Hotels® and MoxyHotels®. Marriott has been consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business ethics. The company also manages the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® program, which together surpass 50 million members. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at 
