Starwood Capital Group, a leading global private investment firm, and leading Spanish hotel operator Melia Hotels International announced today that they have established a joint venture that has agreed to acquire a collection of hotels across key resort locations in Spain.

The initial portfolio for the joint venture consists of seven well-established beachfront hotels representing 2,933 keys that are currently owned by Melia Hotels International and will continue to be managed by Melia upon completion of the transaction. The properties will be acquired by the joint venture in a transaction valued at €176 million ($198 million), subject to the approval of the European Union Merger Control Office.

Included in the initial portfolio are the Sol Principe in Malaga, the Sol Lanzarote and Melia Gorriones (Fuerteventura) in the Canary Islands, the Sol Ibiza and Sol Pinet Playa in Ibiza, and the Sol Mirlos and Sol Tordos (Palmanova, Mallorca). The hotels will all be fully refurbished, after which the Sol Principe, Sol Lanzarote, Sol Mirlos and Sol Tordos will continue to operate under the new Sol Hotels brand, with the Sol Mirlos and Sol Tordos being renamed as the Sol Palmanova. Sol Ibiza will become Sol Beach House Ibiza and Sol Pinet Playa will be renamed Sol House Pinet Ibiza. The main portion of the Melia Gorriones property will continue to operate under the Melia brand, and the current annex will be rebranded as Sol Beach House Fuerteventura.

A controlled affiliate of Starwood Capital will own 80% of the joint venture company, while Melia Hotels International will own the remaining 20%. The joint venture plans to seek out opportunities to integrate additional properties into the portfolio.

"We are delighted to be partnering with Melia on this transaction, and to build on the strong relationship we have already established with the company's executive team," said Keith Evans, Vice President, European Hotels at Starwood Capital Group. "With their irreplaceable locations, strong cash flow-producing businesses and consistent operating track records, these properties present an attractive portfolio with significant potential still to be realized. We look forward to investing in these properties and leveraging Starwood Capital Group's hospitality expertise to help drive growth in the future."

The joint venture represents Starwood Capital Group's second transaction in Spain over the last several months. In late October, the Firm completed the acquisition, through a controlled affiliate, of a portfolio of loans from BFA-Bankia Group that included a significant number of real estate properties as underlying collateral. Starwood Capital Group has acquired more than $63 billion of real estate assets globally since its inception in 1991, including approximately 2,300 hotels and resorts.

About The Starwood Capital Entities

The Starwood Capital Entities are investment affiliates of Starwood Capital Group, which is a private investment firm with a core focus on global real estate. The Firm and its affiliates maintain 16 offices in seven countries around the world, and currently have 5,000+ employees. Since its inception in 1991, Starwood Capital Group has raised over $75 billion of capital, and currently has ~$115 billion of assets under management. Through a series of commingled opportunity funds and Starwood Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (SREIT), a non-listed REIT, the Firm has invested in virtually every category of real estate on a global basis, opportunistically shifting asset classes, geographies and positions in the capital stack as it perceives risk/reward dynamics to be evolving. Starwood Capital also manages Starwood Property Trust (NYSE: STWD), the largest commercial mortgage real estate investment trust in the United States, which has successfully deployed over $95 billion of capital since inception and manages a portfolio of over $27 billion across debt and equity investments. Over the past 32 years, Starwood Capital Group and its affiliates have successfully executed an investment strategy that involves building enterprises in both the private and public markets. Additional information can be found at www.starwoodcapital.com.