Author Bio

Jim Butler

Chairman, JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group

Jim Butler is a founding partner of JMBM, and the founder and chairman of JMBM’s Global Hospitality Group® and Chinese Investment Group™. He is recognized as one of the top hotel lawyers in the world and has authored or co- authored The HMA & Franchise Agreement Handbook, How to Buy a Hotel Handbook, and The Lenders Handbook. Jim has led the Global Hospitality Group® in more than $68 billion of hotel transactional experience, involving more than 1,500 hotel properties located around the globe. Jim’s team has worked on more than 60 EB-5 projects over the past three years. 310.201-3526 or jbutler@jmbm.com

The Lodging Industry Investment Council's Top Ten: investment trends and challenges

For well over a decade, the members of the hotel industry's preeminent think tank, "LIIC - The Lodging Industry Investment Council," are annually surveyed to develop a list of the major hotel investment opportunities and challenges for the coming year. This exhaustive survey ...

Opinion 1 JuneUnited StatesReal Estate & InvestmentAsset Management

GlobeSt.com interviews Jim Butler on Chinese Investment and US Economic Issues

I was recently interviewed by GlobeSt.com to discuss Chinese investment in the United States, including why the US is an attractive market for Chinese dollars, how it helps the US economy, and what it means for the Chinese market. Some selected excerpts from our conversation ...

Opinion21 Dec 2016ChinaReal Estate & Investment

How the Marriott-Starwood merger will affect you...

Marriott closed its acquisition of Starwood on September 23, 2016, following Accor's closing of its acquisition of Fairmont/Raffles on July 12, 2016. Other consolidations may already be underway. In any event, most of us in the hotel industry expect some very important consequences ...

Opinion11 Nov 2016United StatesManagement CompaniesPartnerships, Mergers & AcquisitionsMarriott Starwood Merger

On a Digital Convergence at Digi.travel Cyprus

At the Filoxenia Conference Centre in Nicosia key hospitality and tech decision makers are gathered today for the Digi.travel Cyprus Conference & Expo 2016. Organized for the first time with the collaboration of the Association of Cyprus Travel Agents ACTA, the summit puts leading ...

Opinion19 Oct 2016CyprusDigital Marketing

ALIS hotel conference in Los Angeles -- A turnaround in hotel investor sentiment? Was that just a raindrop or is the sky falling?

Until now, the discussions have always been about how long the recovery will last (what inning are we in)? And how high values and fundamentals will go before they peak and start down in the next cycle. Not so much this time.The irony is that hotel industry fundamentals remain ...

Opinion28 Jan 2016United StatesEvents & ConferencesReal Estate & InvestmentMarkets & PerformancePartnerships, Mergers & Acquisitions

Not Just Heads In Beds - Cybersecurity for Hotel Owners

What part do hotel owners play in preventing a cyberattack and the resulting data breach? The hospitality industry relies on its reputation for confidence, and that confidence can be shattered when guests learn that their private information has been compromised. What can hotel ...

Opinion15 Jan 2016Information Technology

Blocking FCC-Approved Wi-Fi Hotspots is "Patently Illegal" - What You Need to Know

Blocking Wi-Fi connections is "patently unlawful"On August 18, 2015, the FCC announced a $750,000 civil penalty and formal Consent Decree with Smart City Holdings for blocking consumers' personal Wi-Fi access at various convention centers, meeting centers and hotels around the ...

Opinion 7 Sep 2015United StatesLegal

Video: Don Li of Interstate Hotels discusses Chinese investment in U.S. hotels - 2015 Hotel Investment and Finance Opportunities

Don Li, head of Asia Investment for Interstate Hotels, speaks in the video below about what drives Chinese investment in U.S. assets, why an understanding of language and cultural issues is important, and what types of hotels foreign investors are looking for.Don sat down with ...

Opinion18 Jun 2015Real Estate & Investment

Succession planning for the family-owned hospitality business

involved with one or two small properties or a large chain of hotels -- the responsibilities of your family-owned business are as profound as the advantages.Ensuring that the business continues to operate and provide for the family and others whose livelihood depends on it after ...

Opinion17 Feb 2015United StatesLegalReal Estate & Investment

Condo hotels: Don't forget the secret sauce!

Key to financing new hotel development? Selling condo hotels as "securities" under new SEC Rule 506(c) . . .)So what's the problem?With the right team of experienced experts, there is no problem. But some people don't recognize the legal and business complexity of a condo hotel. ...

Opinion 3 Dec 2014United StatesLegalReal Estate & Investment