Ed Rohling has enjoyed an extensive career in Hotel real estate ownership, operations and acquisitions. Prior to founding TRC Hotel Advisors in 1998, Mr. Rohling spent 16 years at Bristol Hotels and as a general partner of its predecessor Harvey Hotels. With TRC Hotel Advisors based in Europe, Ed served various financial sponsors including Blackstone and later in the US, Apollo Real Estate Advisors. From 2005 to 2008, he served as the President & CEO of Lodgian (LGN:AMEX).
Since the 2008 financial crisis, TRC has been engaged to advise in numerous complex capital recovery efforts. These involved asset values totaling almost a billion dollars. Some were recoveries of mezzanine positions on high profile top 5 market city center hotels. Clients included hedge funds, international banks and institutional real estate and management firms. Each of the recoveries benefitted from the interface of intimate understanding of local market circumstances, operational impacts on value and the client’s risk appetite.
Throughout his 30 year career, Mr. Rohling was involved in a broad range of lodging transactions. He also has extensive hotel property and portfolio operational and asset management experience. He was active in two IPO’s, one as CEO and invested in and operated hotels through numerous hospitality industry economic cycles. He is well practiced in providing strategic, analytical, financial and operational objectives to maximize hotel real estate performance or preserve capital as the cycle requires.
He started his hotel career amidst the excessive Dallas, TX overbuilding of the early ‘80’s and thus he began confronted with challenges between financial and operating realities. He is experienced with the difficult choices required in a tough economy: capital preservation; enhancing liquidity; complex interfaces between owners, brands, lenders and operating management; challenging asset sales; managing special servicer relationships; and overhead and property level productivity initiatives.
He is also adept in taking full advantage of market opportunities presented by a recovering, low new supply environment. He is experienced in discerning between mere discounted assets and good value. Investors have different risk profiles and return expectations. These factors must be addressed to match the right acquisition with the right buyer. These are today's circumstances that require uniquely effective communication with both financial investors and operating management.
Regardless of client profile, TRC is always dedicated to maximizing hotel real estate value.