SKW Schwarz Rechtsanwälte advises Arabella Hospitality SE on the sale of its stake in Design Hotels AG
SKW Schwarz Rechtsanwälte advised Arabella Hospitality SE (Arabella), which signed an agreement on the sale of its stake in Design Hotels AG to Starwood Hotels & Resorts Inc. (Starwood). The transaction, which is subject to anti-trust approval in Germany, is expected to close in the first quarter of 2012.
“We assisted Arabella with preparing the transaction and contract drafting,” said Dr. Sebastian Graf von Wallwitz, Partner at SKW Schwarz Rechtsanwälte and leader of the “Hospitality” Practice Group. After SKW Schwarz had already advised Arabella on restructuring its hotel portfolio in the first half of 2011, this is another transaction in which Arabella has used the services of SKW Schwarz’s “Hospitality” Practice Group.
Arabella is owner or leaseholder of various hotels of the Schörghuber group in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and on Mallorca. The Arabella portfolio includes hotels of international renown, such as The St. Regis Mardavall Mallorca Resort; Schloss Fuschl, A Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Fuschlsee-Salzburg; The Westin Grand Frankfurt, Sheraton München Arabellapark Hotel or Four Points by Sheraton München Central.
At a stake of 49.8%, Arabella is the main shareholder in Design Hotels AG and has been a Starwood partner in Germany for many years. The transaction is a result of Arabella’s recent re-focusing of its hotel strategy on ownership and asset management.
Starwood, one of the leading U.S. hotel companies, supports the Schörghuber group as strategic partner in the hotel business and is responsible for operative management of the Arabella hotels.
Counsel to Arabella Hospitality SE: Dr. Sebastian Graf von Wallwitz, LL.M. (N.Y.U.) (Corporate, Antitrust Law)