 | |
| Company type | Privately-held company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Real estate,Private equity,Private credit |
| Founded | 1988; 37 years ago (1988) |
| Founder | David Lichtenstein |
| Headquarters | New York City |
Area served | New Jersey Maryland Illinois California North Carolina Michigan New York |
Number of employees | Over 570 |
| Website | www.lightstonegroup.com |
The Lightstone Group is a privately held real estate investment company which owns and operates a diversified portfolio of multifamily, office, industrial, hotel, and retail properties. Lightstone has invested directly in individual real estate assets and in real estate operating companies. The company was founded byDavid Lichtenstein in 1988.[1][2]
The company's portfolio of real estate properties spans 20 U.S. states, and includes more than 11,000 multifamily units and approximately 20 million square feet of commercial space in the office, industrial, hotel, and retail sectors. The company has more than 570 employees, and is headquartered inNew York City with regional offices inCalifornia,New Jersey,Maryland,Illinois,Michigan andNorth Carolina. Beacon Management is a Lightstone subsidiary, which manages the company's residential apartment business. Baltimore, Maryland-based Paragon Outlets is an affiliate of Lightstone, and manages the company's retail portfolio.[citation needed]
In 2006, the company offered a $300 millionreal estate investment trust, which allowed Lightstone to raise money from outside investors for the first time.[3] The non-traded Lightstone Value Plus REIT invested in office, retail, and other commercial properties, and by the end of 2009, was fully invested in a total of 30 properties. By the end of 2011, Lightstone Value Plus I was the 18th largest non-traded U.S. REIT.[4]
In the summer of 2010, the company offered second, non-traded REIT, Lightstone Value Plus II, committing capital to the hospitality, retail, multi-family, and commercial segments. The Lightstone Group committed 10% of the capital raised by the REIT.[5] By December 2011, LVPII had invested in several properties, including theCrowne Plaza Boston hotel, Saxon Hall Rego Park, andTownePlace Metairie hotel in New Orleans.[6]
The Lightstone Group acquired Extended Stay Hotels (now trading asExtended Stay America) in June 2007 fromThe Blackstone Group for US$8 billion.[7] The deal, financed with US$7 billion of debt, was one of several multibillion-dollar hotel and casino sales made that year.[8] On June 15, 2009, Extended Stay America filed forbankruptcy protection underChapter 11.[9] After theGreat Recession decimated leisure and business travel, Extended Stay faced shortages inliquidity stemming from theleveraged buyout by Lightstone two years before. Throughdebtor-in-possession financing, it was able to continue operating rather than to faceliquidation.[9]
In July 2010, an investment consortium made up of Blackstone,Paulson & Co., andCenterbridge Partners bought Extended Stay America through a bankruptcy auction for US$3.93 billion.[10] After its successfulreorganization, Extended Stay America emerged from bankruptcy in October 2010. A year after the bankruptcy, Blackstone was sued by creditors of Extended Stay America alleging that Blackstone "skimmed" US$2.1 billion off of the sale to Lightstone and knew that the amount of debt would have been unsustainable for the hotel chain; Blackstone settled the lawsuit in June 2013 for US$10 million.[11]
In 2019, The Lightstone Group, a real estate investment management business, is gambling on inexpensive New York City hotel developments. The company has launched a Moxy Hotels catering chain to the business sliver and will operate two more shortly, the Moxy Lower East Side and Moxy Williamsburg.[12]