News

STAMFORD, CT – KSL Capital Partners Credit Opportunities Fund, L.P. (KSL Credit) is pleased to announce that its affiliate provided a first mortgage to finance the acquisition of the Ventana Inn & Spa by an affiliate of Geolo Capital II LP and Wanxiang America Real Estate Group, LLC (collectively, the Sponsor).

The 59-room luxury resort overlooks the Pacific Ocean from its location directly off of Highway 1 in Big Sur, California. Amenities include a luxury spa, the Restaurant at Ventana with an outdoor deck overlooking the ocean, 8,745 square feet of meeting space, two outdoor swimming pools, Japanese hot baths, and a recently opened, 78-site campground located within a redwood grove.

Among the resort’s many accolades, it has been awarded Gold List status from Condé Nast Traveler almost every year since 2005 and was ranked the #8 resort on Travel + Leisure’s “Top 50 Hotels in the Continental U.S.” in 2014. The resort has undergone significant renovations since 2008, and the Sponsor is planning an additional multi-million dollar upgrade to enhance guest amenities and expand meeting and event space. Commune Hotels & Resorts will continue to manage the resort.

ABOUT KSL CAPITAL PARTNERS CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES FUND, L.P.‍

KSL Credit is the current credit fund for KSL Capital Partners, LLC (KSL).  KSL is an investment firm with approximately $7.1 billion in capital raised since 2005 specializing in travel and leisure enterprises across five primary sectors: hospitality, recreation, clubs, real estate and travel services. KSL makes debt and equity investments through its private equity funds and KSL Credit. KSL Credit provides first mortgage and mezzanine loans. KSL has offices in London; Denver, Colorado; and Stamford, Connecticut. For more information, please visit www.kslcapital.com.

ABOUT GEOLO CAPITAL‍

San Francisco-based Geolo Capital (www.geolo.com) is the private equity investment arm of the John A. Pritzker family, continuing a four generation unmatched record of creating, investing in and building a diversified portfolio of consumer-focused companies. The Geolo Capital team has a long history of investing in these entities. From its legacy involvement helping to grow Ticketmaster, to founding Mandara Spa, to the company’s recent investment in Carmel Valley Ranch, Geolo Capital’s mission is to cultivate enduring world-class brands in four core industries – hospitality, entertainment, health and wellness, and consumer products. Geolo combines operational expertise, strategic vision and highly targeted capital to create long-term value for the companies in which it invests.

STAMFORD, CT – KSL Capital Partners, LLC (KSL) is pleased to announce that an affiliate of KSL Capital Partners Credit Opportunities Fund, L.P. has provided a $100 million first mortgage to refinance the 5-star, St. Regis Aspen Resort.

The 179-room resort is located at the base of Aspen Mountain in the heart of downtown Aspen, Colorado. 315 East Dean Associates, Inc., under the leadership of Stephane de Baets, acquired the resort in 2010, and subsequently invested approximately $50 million comprehensively renovating it to solidify its status as one of the world’s finest luxury properties. Among the resort’s many awards, in 2014, Travel + Leisure rated the St. Regis Aspen’s Remède Spa as the #1 spa in the world.

ABOUT KSL CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC‍

KSL is an investment firm specializing in travel and leisure enterprises across five primary sectors including hospitality, recreation, clubs, real estate and travel services. KSL has offices in London; Denver, Colorado; and Stamford, Connecticut, and provides both debt and equity capital solutions through its $386 million credit fund and $2.1 billion private equity fund, respectively. Since 2006, KSL has completed more than 30 investments in the travel and leisure industry, with an aggregate transaction value in excess of $5.0 billion. For more information, please visit www.kslcapital.com.

DENVER – WellBiz Brands, Inc., one of the largest health and wellness franchise organizations in the United States, is taking its flagship brands – Elements Massage™, Fitness Together® and FIT36™ – to the next level: the company announced today that it has been acquired by an affiliate of the private equity firm KSL Capital Partners, LLC. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

WellBiz and KSL will work collaboratively to strengthen the three brands’ presence through increased awareness and market share in the U.S. and Canada. Each headquartered in Colorado, the two companies share more than proximity to one another; they are both committed to enhancing lives through organizations that provide customized and targeted personal services that are membership-based.

"We've seen tremendous growth with our franchises and our projections for the next few years are even more exciting," says Jeff Jervik, CEO of WellBiz. "Our alignment with KSL comes at a perfect time when we can benefit from the resources it can provide to satisfy the growing demand from consumers for personal health and wellness services."

WellBiz has three complementary brands that position the organization for accelerated growth in the thriving $3.4 trillion wellness industry. The company is on target to open 40-50 new studios across all of its brands in 2015 – which includes entering the international market with Elements Massage studios in Canada – and has a strong forecast for 2016.

"We're excited to join with WellBiz in investing in health and wellness, and look forward to working with its management team," said Peter McDermott, partner at KSL Capital Partners, LLC. "As a firm that invests only in travel and leisure-related ventures, our experience and expertise in spa, fitness and membership-based businesses provides a unique partner to help WellBiz accelerate its growth plans while maintaining the service standards for which its brands have become well known.”

Each Elements Massage studio offers just one service: massage. Elements Massage receives some of the highest client satisfaction scores in the industry. The Elements Wellness Program™, a month-to-month membership program and a guarantee, The Elements Promise™, are built around therapeutic, handcrafted and personalized approaches to massage – The Elements Way®. Fitness Together provides private one-on-one training to develop a personalized fitness program that not only meets the client’s needs, but is also focused on results. Recently, WellBiz also introduced a new fitness concept that hits different segments of the fitness industry; FIT36 is a 36-minute, high intensity interval training (HIIT) workout. Each of WellBiz’s brands is uniquely different, but shares the same commitment to providing exceptional service to its clients.

For more information, please visit www.wellbizbrands.com and www.kslcapital.com.

ABOUT WELLBIZ BRANDS, INC.‍

WellBiz Brands, Inc. is headquartered in Highlands Ranch, Colo. and is one of the largest health and wellness companies in the United States. The company owns three separate franchise entities: Elements Therapeutic Massage, Inc., which franchises massage studios, providing custom therapeutic massage to meet clients’ individual needs; Fitness Together Franchise Corporation, which franchises one-on-one and semi-private personal training studios; and Fit 36, Inc., which franchises high intensity interval training studios, with workouts done as a group.

Elements Therapeutic Massage, Inc. began franchising in 2006 and has more than 200 Elements Massage™ locations in 34 states. Fitness TogetherFranchise Corporation began franchising in 1996 and has nearly 180 Fitness Together® locations across the United States. Fit 36, Inc. began franchising in 2014 and has a single FIT36™ location in downtown Denver.

For more information about Elements Massage™, visit ElementsMassage.com. For more information about Fitness Together®, visit FitnessTogether.com. For more information about FIT36™ visit FIT36fitness.com.

ABOUT KSL CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC‍

KSL is a private equity firm specializing in travel and leisure enterprises in five primary sectors: hospitality, recreation, clubs, real estate and travel services. KSL has offices in Denver, London and Stamford, Conn. Since 2006, KSL has completed more than 30 investments in the travel and leisure industry, with an aggregate transaction value in excess of $5 billion. KSL's current portfolio includes some of the premier properties in travel and leisure. In the United States, KSL owns the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point, Calif., and a majority interest in the Miraval Group, the owner and operator of luxury spa and wellness properties. KSL also owns premier recreation businesses, including Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, two of the leading ski resorts in North America, and is the largest shareholder of ClubCorp, one of the world's largest owners of private golf and business clubs. In the United Kingdom, owns The Belfry in the West Midlands and the Village Urban Resorts chain. For more information, please visit kslcapital.com.

DENVER – KSL Capital Partners, LLC (KSL), a leading private equity firm, announces that an affiliate of KSL completed the sale of the Malmaison and Hotel du Vin hospitality chains to an affiliate of Frasers Hospitality UK Holdings Limited.

Malmaison and Hotel du Vin will join Frasers Hospitality’s three award-winning serviced residence offerings – the Gold-Standard Fraser Suites, Fraser Place and Fraser Residence – as well as Modena by Fraser, a modern lifestyle brand targeted at young executives constantly on the go, and Capri by Fraser, a design-led hotel residence aimed at the millennial business traveler.

“We are grateful to have been a part of Malmaison and Hotel du Vin,” said Coley Brenan, a principal of KSL. “Each property is physically unique, but each share the common traits of exceptional service and wonderful food and beverage offerings. Thanks to the tireless efforts of the employees of Malmaison and Hotel du Vin, we have no doubt they will continue to be two of the preeminent hotel brands in the UK.”

Each founded in 1994, Malmaison and Hotel du Vin are a unique collection of premier boutique hotels located throughout the UK. Malmaison is known for its cutting edge designs in historic buildings, and consists of 13 boutique hotels throughout the UK that “dare to be different.” Luxurious and quintessentially British, Hotel du Vin consists of 16 boutique lifestyle hotels throughout the UK with a concentration in cathedral and university towns. KSL invested significantly in each brand over the past several years, renovating existing properties and expanding into new locations.

ABOUT KSL CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC‍

KSL is a private equity firm specializing in travel and leisure enterprises in five primary sectors: hospitality, recreation, clubs, real estate and travel services. KSL has offices in London; Denver, Colo.; and Stamford, Conn. Since 2006, KSL has completed more than 30 investments in the travel and leisure industry, with an aggregate transaction value in excess of five billion U.S. dollars. KSL’s current portfolio includes some of the premier properties in travel and leisure. In the United States, KSL owns a majority interest in the Miraval Group, the owner and operator of luxury spa and wellness properties, and the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point, Calif. KSL also owns premier recreation businesses, including Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, two of the leading ski resorts in North America, and is the largest shareholder of ClubCorp, one of the world’s largest owners of private golf and business clubs. In the United Kingdom, KSL owns The Belfry in the West Midlands and the Village Urban Resorts chain. For more information, please visit www.kslcapital.com.

ABOUT FRASERS HOSPITALITY

Frasers Hospitality, the hospitality arm of Frasers Centrepoint Limited, is a global hospitality operator with Gold-Standard serviced and hotel residences across Europe, North Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East and Australia.

Frasers Hospitality commits to “anticipates and exceeds the evolving needs of executive travelers through continuous innovation”, and providing its customers with the space, family and community away from home. Conceived with the lifestyle preferences of today’s discerning extended stay executive travelers in mind, Frasers Hospitality has three branded Gold-Standard serviced residences offerings – Fraser Suites, Fraser Place and Fraser Residence, a second-tier brand, Modena by Fraser, and a design-led hotel residence brand, Capri by Fraser. For more information on Frasers Hospitality, please visit www.frasershospitality.com.

DENVER -KSL Capital Partners, LLC (KSL) announces that an affiliate of KSL has sold The James Royal Palm resort in South Beach, Fla. to Chesapeake Lodging Trust (NYSE:CHSP) for a purchase price of $278 million, or approximately $707,000 per key.  KSL is a U.S. private equity firm dedicated to investing in travel and leisure businesses.

“We are grateful to have been a part of the long history of The James Royal Palm,” said Bernie Siegel, a principal of KSL. “For nearly four years, we were able to transform it into one of the preeminent hotels in Miami, thanks in large part to the tireless efforts of the Royal Palm staff.”

KSL originally acquired the Royal Palm in 2011 and completed an extensive renovation and repositioning of the storied property in 2011 and 2012. The fully renovated property was reintroduced to the market in December 2012.

ABOUT KSL CAPITAL PARTNERS, LLC‍

KSL is a private equity firm specializing in travel and leisure enterprises in five primary sectors: hospitality, recreation, clubs, real estate and travel services. KSL has offices in London; Denver, Colo.; and Stamford, Conn. Since 2006, KSL has completed more than 30 investments in the travel and leisure industry, with an aggregate transaction value in excess of five billion dollars. KSL’s current portfolio includes some of the premier properties in travel and leisure. In the United States, KSL owns a majority interest in the Miraval Group, the owner and operator of luxury spa and wellness properties, and the St. Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point, Calif. KSL also owns premier recreation businesses, including Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows, two of the leading ski resorts in North America, and is the majority owner of ClubCorp, one of the world’s largest owners of private golf and business clubs. In the United Kingdom, KSL owns The Belfry in the West Midlands, the Malmaison and Hotel du Vin hospitality chains and the Village Urban Resort chain. For more information, please visit www.kslcapital.com.