Jon Bortz on hostile takeover
From REIT M&A—Getting it Right at the 24th Annual REIT Symposium · · NYU Schack
“The worst word is 'hostile'. In our transaction, calling it 'hostile' was really only hostile to management — going to the shareholders and doing what's in the best interest of the shareholders is actually the friendly thing to do.”
On , Jon Bortz, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at PEBBLEBROOK HOTEL TRUST, spoke about hostile takeover during REIT M&A—Getting it Right at the 24th Annual REIT Symposium on NYU Schack.
About Jon Bortz
Jon Bortz, chairman and CEO of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, has focused on integrating the company's acquisition of LaSalle Hotel Properties, a deal finalized in late 2018. Bortz stated that the integration went well, with most LaSalle employees retained and integrated into Pebblebrook's collaborative culture. He noted that about half of the acquired portfolio was being redeveloped or transformed, including into a proprietary brand called the "Z Collection," while the company sold approximately $1.2 billion of the acquired assets. Bortz described Pebblebrook as an "active looker" but not an "active pursuer" of further acquisitions, instead prioritizing selling assets and using proceeds to buy back stock, citing a 30% discount between the company's public market value and private asset values. Bortz also discussed the launch of the Curator Hotel & Resort Collection, a platform he described as "built by an owner with operators for owners" to improve bottom-line performance through cost-saving arrangements while allowing hotels to remain independent. He emphasized that the company was leveraging its scale to negotiate master service agreements for items like energy procurement and insurance, targeting $10 million in annual operating savings. On industry conditions, Bortz noted that supply growth was limited and demand was outpacing supply, giving hotels pricing power, though he cautioned that the emergence of the coronavirus created uncertainty about travel demand.