LOS ANGELES, Calif., March 28, 2012—Encouraged by positive metrics and the return of capital to the hospitality sector, the 22nd edition of Meet the Money®, the hospitality industry’s leading financial conference, is poised to bring together lenders, developers, hotel owners, operators and investors for two days of deal making May 7 – 9, 2012, at the Sheraton Gateway LAX Hotel in Los Angeles, California.
 
“As the economy and hotel fundamentals continue to improve, there is a sea level change in the availability of hotel financing,” said conference founder Jim Butler, author of www.HotelLawBlog.com and chairman of the Global Hospitality Group® of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP (JMBM).  “There is a lot of capital available to finance acquisitions, refinance existing loans based on current cash flow, and even some development opportunities, and it seems that interest is accelerating.”

More than 100 industry leaders are confirmed as speakers and scheduled to talk in more than 25 sessions at this year’s conference, under a theme of “Rise Above  the Global Financial Tempest.”  Attendees will hear from PKF Consulting’s Mark Woodworth, Vail Brown from Smith Travel Research, Suzanne Mellen of HVS and Greg Hartman of Jones Lang LaSalle. Movers and shakers from Wall Street, the CMBS world, hotel REITs, banks and credit companies and private capital and funds will all be there looking for good projects and sharing their visions.

Meet the Money® will have panels of experts to deal with select hot topics such as: 

• EB-5 financing for hotel development;
• The latest developments on the new ADA requirements;
• Troubled hotel strategies;
• Opportunistic investment strategies;
• PIP financing, profit enhancement, and adding value with repositioning strategies.

Meet the Money® has evolved from a breakfast meeting in 1990 to a day and a half event attracting the leaders of the US hospitality industry and the investors who finance them,” Butler said.  “The scope of the conference has grown in direct proportion to the number and complexity of the issues the industry faces.   That’s why we consistently attract almost 400 senior hotel industry executives every year from around the world.” 

The conference registration fee is $950.  For more information, to register or learn how to become a Meet the Money® sponsor, please visit www.MeetTheMoney.com or contact Diane Phillips at (310) 785-5320 or at [email protected].  
 
About JMBM's Global Hospitality Group
JMBM's Global Hospitality Group® creates legal and business solutions for hotel owners, developers and lenders. Comprised of more than 50 hospitality lawyers, the Group has handled more than $60 billion of hotel transactions, involving more than 1.300 properties around the globe. JMBM has developed some unique proprietary approaches to unlocking value in underwater hotels that can benefit lenders, borrowers and investors.  For more information, visit www.HotelLawBlog.com.  To contact Jim Butler, who is recognized as one of the top hotel lawyers in the world and a hotel industry thought leader, contact him directly at 310.201.3526 or at [email protected].