Bio

Lewis Rotman practice is concentrated in real estate financing, acquisitions and workouts and complex commercial transactions. His primary emphasis has been directed toward the hospitality industry. In this industry, L.J. has been responsible for the structuring and negotiation of billions of dollars of hotel acquisitions, financings, developments, restructurings and workouts involving thousands of hotels located throughout the world. L.J.'s experience includes representing clients in acquiring and disposing of hotels, developing new brands and developing new hotels, including ocean front hotels in Miami, Naples, Perdido Key, Palm Beach Shores and Key West, Florida; South Padre Island, Texas; Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi and throughout the Caribbean. His experience also includes negotiating and structuring hotel management agreements with several national hotel operators and franchise agreements with nearly every major domestic flag. Many of the hotel transactions have included related amenities such as golf courses, health clubs, restaurants, airports, theme retail, casinos, amphitheaters, night clubs and convention centers. In addition to conventional financing, the financing tools utilized in connection with these hotels have included REITs, REMICs, joint ventures, tax increment, public and private offerings, ground lease and sale/leaseback transactions. Given the unique nature of hotels as both a real estate asset and operating business, L.J. has been primarily responsible for nearly every legal aspect of these hotels, including liquor license approvals, land development issues, construction contracts, employment matters, securities matters, franchising, environmental, ADA, income, sales and property tax, timeshare conversion, foreclosure, receivership, litigation and bankruptcy. L.J.'s hotel clients include developers, lenders, receivers, investors and hotel operators.