
Profile
Michael J. Sullivan is Co-Chair of the firm’s Hospitality Group. Mike has wide-ranging experience in the acquisition, development, finance and disposition of hotels, resorts, branded residences and condo-hotels; management, franchise and operating agreements for hotels; publicly financed hotel management agreements; construction and permanent financings (balance sheet and CMBS); and the purchase of distressed mortgage debt instruments secured by hospitality-related real estate.
Concentrations
- Representation of owners in the acquisition, development, finance and disposition of hotels, resorts, branded mixed-use hotel, residence and condo-hotel projects
- Hotel management agreements, condo hotel rental program agreements, and franchise agreements; publicly financed hotel management agreements
- Restaurant leases and operating agreements
- Real estate sale-leaseback transactions
- Workouts and restructurings
- Hotel construction, mezzanine, bridge and term financings representing owners
- Commercial, ground and net leasing
- Lender representation in hospitality asset financings, including cash management agreements, mortgage and mezzanine financings, intercreditor agreements, SNDAs, and comfort letters
Capabilities
Experience
- Represent Loews Hotels Holding Corporation, a subsidiary of Loews Corporation (NYSE:L) in connection with the forming of a Partnership with Universal Parks and Resorts, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation, to finance, develop and operate a new hotel complex within the Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida, including a total of 4,000 hotel rooms, with a $408 million construction loan provided by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.
- Represent citizenM Hotels in the acquisition of properties in North America, including fee simple acquisitions, acquisitions by ground lease, co-development joint venture investments, and in development and construction financings, operating leases, hotel management agreements and related development and operations matters.
- Represented LaPlaya, LLC, an affiliate of the Barron Collier Companies and Noble House Hotels & Resorts, in the sale of the LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, Florida to an affiliate of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE: PEB).
- Represented an affiliate of Goldman Sachs and Petra Capital Management in the sale of the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa, a 511 guest room resort and spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
- Represented The Related Companies (New York) in the acquisition of the W Fort Lauderdale Hotel & Residences and related financings of the Hotel and Residence components.
- Represented, as part of a team, Anbang Insurance Group Co. in both the acquisition of the Waldorf Astoria New York Hotel from Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. and a long term hotel management agreement and related agreements with Hilton.
- Represented Starwood Capital Group in negotiation of a long term hotel management agreement with Sunshine Group, a Chinese Insurance Company, for the management of the Baccarat Hotel located in Midtown Manhattan.
- Represented an affiliate of Lionheart Capital, LLC in the negotiation of a hotel management agreement and related agreements with Sustainable Luxury Mauritius Limited for the Six Senses Resort in Tola, Nicaragua.
- Represented 50 Bowery Holdings, LLC, as owner, in the negotiation of a hotel management agreement and related agreements with Joie de Vivre Hospitality, LLC for a newly developed Hotel at 50 Bowery New York City and in the development and construction loan made by HSBC Bank USA.
- Represented an affiliate of Ironstate Development Company, LLC in the negotiation of a hotel management agreement with HotelsAB, LLC for The Cooper Square Hotel, New York City.
- Represented an affiliate of GFI Capital in the negotiation of a hotel management agreement and related agreements with Ace Group for the Ace Hotel Brooklyn.
- Represented Hilton Hotels Corporation in connection with the development and management of a 500-room Waldorf Astoria and a 1,000-room Hilton in the Bonnet Creek master development near Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
- Represented Hilton Hotels Corporation in the land acquisition, joint venture agreement negotiations, hotel management agreement negotiations, and local government permitting and entitlements with respect to the 1,400-room Hilton Hotel under construction on International Drive in Orange County, Florida.
- Represented Hilton Hotels Corporation in the sale of various U.S.-located hotels and the negotiation of hotel management agreements with the purchasers as part of a sale/managed back disposition strategy.
- Represented owners and hotel brands in luxury and upper upscale hotel ownership and development joint ventures and related hotel management agreements.
- Represented private equity funds in the purchase of distressed debt instruments secured by hotels and related hospitality real estate.
- Represented private equity funds and REITs in the purchase of upper-upscale, upscale and mid-scale urban hotels.
- Represented owners in the negotiation of hotel management agreements involving luxury and upper-upscale hotels in the United States, Caribbean, Mexico and South America.
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America
- Real Estate Law, 2005-2021
- Leisure and Hospitality Law, 2015-2021
- Named, "Lawyer of the Year," Leisure and Hospitality Law, Orlando, 2017
- Listed, Chambers USA Guide, Real Estate and Leisure Hospitality, 2004-2020
- Listed, The Legal 500 United States, 2007-2010, 2012 and 2019
- Listed, Latin Lawyer, "Latin Lawyer 250 - Practice Recognition: Real Estate & Tourism," 2020
- Team Member, Chambers USA Award for Excellence, Real Estate, 2010, 2013 and 2017-2018
- Team Member, a U.S. News - Best Lawyers®, "Law Firm of the Year" in Real Estate Law, 2015
- Listed, "Lawyer of the Year," Orlando Real Estate Law, 2013
- Team Member, The Legal 500 United States, "Top Tier" Firm in Real Estate, 2013 and 2014
- Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Florida Super Lawyers, 2006-2014
- Team Member, a Law360 "Real Estate Practice Group of the Year," 2011-2013 and 2015
- Rated, AV Preeminent® 5.0 out of 5.0
- Past Board Member, YMCA, Orlando Metropolitan, Board of Directors
- Chairman, Aspire Charter Academy School, Orlando, Florida, Board of Directors
- Past Faculty, Practicing Law Institute (Hospitality)
- Member, Central Florida Yale Club
- Member, Yale College Alumni, Real Estate Association
- Past Member, Orange County, International Drive Community Redevelopment Area, Advisory Board
- Past Member, St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church Parish, Council and Development Committee
Credentials
Education
- J.D., with honors, University of Connecticut School of Law, 1984
- B.A., Yale University, 1980
Admissions
- Florida