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227 | Mass Appeal: Crowdfunding for hotel development mines new sources of cash
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When it launched five years ago, crowdfunding for real estate development was a hot topic, especially among hotel developers seeking new ways to pay for their projects.
Though it’s not creating the same level of buzz as it did when it first became a federally sanctioned option in 2014, crowdfunding remains a viable tool in attracting a wide range of investors and sourcing new streams of cash.
Basically, crowdfunding is a campaign for small amounts of money from a large number of people. It is friends and family financing gone viral.
We talk to hotel developers who are using the alternative financing method to raise cash for their projects.
The projects are vastly different, as are the fundraisers’ goals, and target investors.
One is a boutique property in a resort market, and the developer plans to raise the entire construction cost via crowdfunding. The other is a midscale branded hotel in a technology park, and the firm is selling shares to close a funding gap.
Featured in today’s report is Nathan Kivi, founder of HotelierCo, an online fundraising company targeting hotel development; and Bhavik Dani, founder of EquityRoots, another fintech venture that’s raising capital for one project while about to break ground on another.
We also explain the evolution of crowdfunding, and why the federal government gave the technology its nod of approval as part of a national economic recovery program.
Anyone considering raising money for a project over the internet, or investing money via an online program, should first consult a professional adviser.
Resources and Links
- Nathan Kivi, founder of HotelierCo
- Bhavik Dani, founder of EquityRoots
For more information on crowdfunding visit:
The SEC study mentioned in this report is titled “Capital Raising in the U.S.: An Analysis of the Market for Unregistered Securities Offerings, 2009‐2017” and can be accessed here.
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342 | Live Long and Prosper: Hospitality industry embraces senior living
Since she was a teenager volunteering at senior-living facilities in Boston, Serena Lipton knew she wanted a career in senior housing. But she had a difficult time finding the college program she believed would educate and prepare her to serve in the senior-living industry. After graduating from Boston University School of Hospitality Administration and working as an analyst for JLL’s Senior Housing Valuation Advisory, Lipton finally found what she was looking for. This fall she enrolled in BU’s Master of Management in Hospitality with a new concentration in senior living. She and other students are on the cusp of what BUSHA believes is a massive shift in how Americans view aging and where opportunities lie for the hospitality industry.
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341 | One Big Happy: Travel survey reveals how hotels can attract families
Rainer Jenss of Nyack, New York, founded the Family Travel Association seven years ago to help parents and caregivers introduce children to the world through travel, whether that’s a yearlong trip around the world that Jenss and his family took or a weekend getaway to a nearby destination. To help the travel industry gauge what parents want when they take their kids on vacation, FTA conducts an annual study. The U.S. Family Travel Survey 2021 reveals the shift in mindset the COVID-19 pandemic has created in families planning a trip over the next 12 months. Hoteliers use can use the information to generate business and boost their strategies to recover and sustain business now and other the coming months.