Waterton Acquires 356-Room Hotel in Downtown Washington, D.C.

By October 3, 2017September 8th, 20212017, October
The Madison DC lobby interior Waterton

Rebranded The Madison, a Hilton Hotel, property is Waterton’s first hospitality acquisition of 2017

Waterton Acquires 356-Room Hotel in Downtown Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON D.C. (Oct. 3, 2017) – Waterton, a U.S. real estate investor and operator, today along with an affiliate of private equity partner Walton Street Capital, L.L.C. announced the acquisition of the 356-room hotel formerly known as the Loews Madison in downtown Washington D.C. Located at the intersection of M and 15th streets – just a half mile north of the White House – the property has been rebranded as The Madison, a Hilton Hotel. It will be managed by Hilton Hotels & Resorts.

Built in 1963, the hotel originally opened as Madison Hotel at a ceremony attended by President John F. Kennedy and has since hosted every U.S. president as an honored guest. Over the past 15 years, the property has received more than $75 million in capital improvements, last undergoing a full renovation in 2012. As a result, guest rooms, meeting space and public areas have been completely refreshed.

“We’re excited that our first hotel investment in the D.C. market is a property with a rich history in a prime location,” said Nir Liebling, chief investment officer of hospitality at Waterton. “There’s a tremendous opportunity here to reposition a premier destination for corporate and leisure travelers alike.”

The Madison currently features 12,000 square feet of meeting space, a business center, two lobby bars, a coffee shop and a fitness center. The new owners plan to make additional updates to various common-area elements on the first floor.

“These and other improvements will allow us to increase cash flows while elevating the guest experience through best-in-class service and a highly activated lobby,” said Liebling. “At the same time, we’ll be preserving a piece of D.C. history through thoughtful changes that reflect the lodging preferences of today’s modern travelers.”

In addition to offering proximity to the White House, the hotel at 1177 15th St. NW is close to the National Mall, Walter E. Washington Convention Center and other popular attractions throughout the capital. In addition, it is just one block from Thomas Circle and easily accessible via the Red, Blue, Orange and Silver Metro lines.

The Madison is also close to nearby employment centers. The property sits across the street from Midtown Center, a $650 million mixed-use redevelopment project of the old Washington Post building, where Fannie Mae is relocating its headquarters next year.

“We expect to see a significant benefit by being so close to Fannie Mae, the largest local Fortune 500 company by revenue,” said Liebling. “That business, along with others in the immediate area, will generate strong demand for both hotel rooms and meeting facilities, allowing us to enjoy a competitive position in the submarket.”

For more information on The Madison, call 202.862.1600 or visit www3.hilton.com.

About Waterton:

Waterton is a real estate investor and operator with a focus on U.S. multifamily and hospitality properties. Founded in 1995, Waterton executes value-add strategies and manages a national portfolio of multifamily and hospitality properties on behalf of institutional investors, family offices and financial institutions. Since its formation, the company has acquired over $7.0 billion in real estate assets. Waterton is privately held and is headquartered in Chicago with regional teams throughout the United States. As of June 30, 2017, Waterton’s portfolio includes approximately $3.4 billion in real estate assets, including 41 multifamily investments totaling approximately 14,000 units and 9 hotels with more than 2,500 rooms. Visit Waterton’s website: www.waterton.com.

About Walton Street Capital, L.L.C.:
Walton Street Capital, L.L.C. (Walton Street) is a private equity real estate investment firm based in Chicago. Since its founding in 1994, affiliates of Walton Street have received total equity commitments of over $10.3 billion from public and corporate pension plans, foreign institutions, insurance companies and banks, endowments and foundations, trusts, and high net worth individuals. Through its affiliates, Walton Street has invested and/or committed to invest $9.0 billion of equity in more than 350 separate transactions in U.S. and international real estate, including the development and acquisition of office, hotel, retail, industrial, multifamily, for-sale residential, senior and student housing, gaming and other assets through both individual, portfolio and company-level transactions with a gross asset cost of over $25 billion.