Hyatt Hotels Corporation (H.US) has announced the successful completion of the sale of its previously acquired real estate portfolio from Playa Hotels & Resorts N.V. to Tortuga Resorts for approximately $2 billion. Furthermore, Hyatt is eligible to receive up to an additional $143 million in contingent payments if specific operational metrics are achieved. As part of the transaction, Hyatt has retained a $200 million preferred equity interest in Tortuga. Hyatt and Tortuga have entered into 50-year management agreements for 13 of the 14 hotels included in this portfolio. The sold real estate portfolio comprises 15 all-inclusive resorts located in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica. As previously disclosed, Hyatt sold one of these hotels to a separate, independent third-party buyer for $22 million on September 18. With this transaction, Hyatt has now divested the entire Playa real estate portfolio for a total of $2 billion. This sale underscores Hyatt's commitment to its asset-light business model and is intended to create value for its shareholders. Looking ahead, the proceeds from the real estate sale will be used to repay the delayed draw term loan that was raised to partially fund the original acquisition of the Playa assets. Hyatt anticipates that, on a pro forma basis, its net leverage will remain consistent with the thresholds required to maintain its investment-grade credit rating. Separately, it was disclosed that due to damage caused by Hurricane Melissa in October, seven of Hyatt's hotels in Jamaica are expected to remain closed until the fourth quarter of 2026. Year-to-date, Hyatt Hotels Corporation's stock has risen by 4.2%. The consensus rating among Wall Street analysts for the stock is "Buy."
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