James Spitzer

Partner | Corporate
Co-Chair, Real Estate

About

Jim is a trusted business advisor and counselor to real estate companies and investors in the real estate industry, including private real estate equity funds, hospitality clients (both hotel and food and beverage), syndicators and sophisticated private investors.

  • The practice includes the structuring and forming of joint ventures, preparation and negotiation of partnership agreements, operating agreements and ground leases, the purchase and sale of various properties, as well as representing owners in various forms of financings – preferred equity, mezzanine financing and senior secured loans.

    He represents one of the largest private hotel owners in New York City which owns, develops and operates approximately 30 of its own hotels including some of the best know boutiques hotels in the City – – the Bowery, Chambers, Maritime, Greenwich, and Mercer Hotels, among others and a limited service brand created by the client – The POD. He has negotiated leases and management agreements with star chefs and recognized food and beverage operators in New York. He has also represented hotel owners nationally (including brands) in connection in the purchase and sale of hotels and management agreements.

Practices

  • Real Estate

  • Hospitality

Admissions

  • New York

Education

  • NYU Law School LLM

  • Columbia Law School JD

  • Kenyon College BA

Honors and Awards

  • The Best Lawyers in America, Real Estate Law, 2016, 2018-2021

Experience

  • FisherBroyles, LLP

  • Holland & Knight LLP

Representative Transactions

  • Syndication of 550 acre parcel of land in San Antonio, TX for single family homes and other uses adjacent to Texas A&M University San Antonio;

  • Acquisition of portfolio of land development projects from a public company and debt and equity financing for the purchase and future development activities , including a joint venture with a high net worth investor and the syndication of the general partnership interests;

  • Preferred equity and mezzanine debt transactions for a national fund manager;

  • Joint venture with a developer to demolish and build a hotel to new high rise apartment building in New York City;

  • Investment in an existing partnership to assume control of the famed Chelsea Hotel in New York City and the redevelopment of the Hotel and the lease of the F&B operations to a F&B operator;

  • Ground lease by client to a developer of the notorious Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles;

  • Investment in a partnership to develop a 600 room POD Hotel in New York City, to restructure the partnership and to manage and operate the Hotel and lease the F&B operations;

  • Acquisition of partially completed building to complete development of the Ludlow Hotel on the Lower East Side of New York and to operate the Hotel and enter into management agreement for the F&B operations;

  • Acquisition by a newly formed joint venture of the Driskill Hotel in Austin TX and the sale of the hotel to Hyatt.