The AHC stage is never short of lively debate, and this year’s Capital Talks panel will dig deep into the real state of UK hotel investment. Ahead of the session, during the preparatory call with our moderator, Carine Bonnejean, managing director – Hotels at Christie & Co, it was clear from the outset that the panel conversation will be one full of unmissable insights for anyone watching the deal landscape.
The core theme? What’s driving deals in the current environment. On the table will be everything from the availability of single assets versus large portfolios, through to regional performance variances, financing conditions, and the ever-present question of pricing expectations.
Despite headlines dominated by cost pressures and plateauing performance, our speakers agreed on one thing: the UK is far from quiet. Transaction activity has picked up, fuelled in part by assets reaching the end of their investment life cycles and by sellers looking to rebalance post-pandemic portfolios. Liquidity is flowing, though creative deal structures and realistic pricing remain key to getting transactions across the line.
On stage in Manchester, we’ll hear from:
- Jacob Rasin, senior vice president transactions at Pandox, who will be bringing the perspective of an active player managing one of the largest hotel portfolios in Europe.
- Peter Werhahn, managing director real estate at Blackstone, with insights on aggregation strategies and how differentiated concepts create new opportunities.
- Saurabh Chawla, vice president transactions at Westmont Hospitality, who is active on both the buy and sell side and will share candid views on perception of the UK vs the rest of Europe and where opportunities are emerging across the UK regions.
- JJ Lenhart, managing director at The Baupost Group, who will provide the perspective of a relatively new entrant to the UK hospitality market, including reflections on why their opportunistic approach attracted them to the sector, and how the sell-side is evolving.
What was most striking from the conversation with the panellists was the balance between optimism and realism. Yes, inflation and operating costs remain headwinds, and yes, investors are scrutinising pricing harder than ever. But there is also confidence that fundamentals - particularly low levels of new supply - will support growth in the years ahead.
With perspectives ranging from long-established investors to those only recently committing capital to the UK, this session will cut through the noise to show where money is really moving, and what that means for owners, operators and the broader market.
Don’t miss Capital Talks live at AHC 2025. Register now to secure your place and gain first-hand insights from the dealmakers shaping the future of UK hospitality investment.