Watermark Lodging Trust To Be Acquired By Brookfield Real Estate Funds For $3.8B

The Watermark portfolio, built over a decade of investing and intensive asset management, is comprised of high-quality lodging assets consisting of 25 properties totaling over 8,100 rooms. These luxury and upper upscale assets are located in drive-to leisure destinations and gateway urban cities across 14 states with a high concentration in the Sun Belt region.

“We are very pleased to reach this agreement with Brookfield, as it achieves our longer-term objective of a liquidity event, while providing our stockholders with an immediate and certain cash value,” said Michael Medzigian, Chairman and CEO of Watermark. “The transaction’s premium to our most recently published Net Asset Values per share represents the strong execution of our entire team who have demonstrated the ability to find innovative solutions to address the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.  I would like to thank the members of our Watermark team, across all functions, for their dedication and hard work over the past several years.”

“Hotels and resorts of this scale and quality are difficult to replicate,” said Lowell Baron, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer in Brookfield’s Real Estate Group. “This portfolio is well positioned given its concentration in high barrier to entry coastal destinations, gateway cities and the sunbelt.”

Completion of the transaction is subject to certain closing conditions, including the approval of Watermark’s stockholders. The proposed transaction has been unanimously approved by the Watermark Board of Directors and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022.