The award was voted upon by the 700 hotel, real estate and investment professionals attending the fourth annual gathering.  Criteria include deal complexity, creativity and structure.

�As the hotel industry accelerates its globalization, multi-national transactions like the Marriott Hamburg that involve international organizations from the Far East, Europe and North America will become increasingly common,� said Laurence Geller, SHC president and CEO.  �We are honored to be selected by the industry�s top professionals two years running and intend to build on our track record of professionalism and creativity in the future.�

SHC purchased the Hamburg Marriott in a complex transaction involving SHC and co-investor the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation.  Other key participants in the transaction were the City of Hamburg and Marriott International, which manages the property under a long-term agreement. 

A truly international transaction, the deal involved a Swedish seller of a German property, held in a Netherlands company bought by U.S. and Singaporean investors.  Successfully closing the deal involved negotiations not only with the sellers but also with Marriott International and the City of Hamburg, which owned the land.

�It was necessary for us to improve certain aspects of the existing arrangement with Marriott and the City of Hamburg,� said Kay Dymock, SHC�s European managing director.  �Among the changes were features that enabled SHC to arrange for full debt financing from Rheinhyp, one of Germany�s leading mortgage banks.�

Headquartered in Chicago, Ill., Strategic Hotel Capital currently owns 28 luxury and upscale hotels and resorts in North America, Mexico and Europe.  The company acquires and aggressively asset manages larger hotels, properties with 200-plus rooms, in markets with unique locations with high barriers to additional competition.  

Selected hotels in SHC�s portfolio include the Essex House, a Westin Hotel, New York City; The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, Calif.; the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero and the Park Hyatt, both in San Francisco; Hyatt Regency hotels in New Orleans and on Capital Hill, Washington D.C.; the Marriott Hamburg, Germany; the Hotel Inter-Continental Praha, Prague, Czech Republic; and the Marriott Champs Elysees in Paris.

SHC is a privately held, limited liability company whose major stakeholders include the Whitehall funds and Prudential Insurance Co. of America.