Hotel bridge loans in Georgia

What Georgia means for a bridge lender

Georgia uses a security deed and a non-judicial sale process with sales held on the first Tuesday of the month, one of the faster remedies in the country. Georgia’s intangible recording tax applies to long-term notes (maturity over three years), so most short bridge loans fall outside it.

A power-of-sale process outside court usually lets a lender recover the property faster than a court case. Asset-based lenders who rely on the collateral rather than the borrower’s credit are often most comfortable lending where the remedy is quick and predictable.

Hotel and motel specifics

Hotel lenders focus on local demand drivers, seasonality and new supply in the specific submarket, and some only lend on flagged hotels or in markets with year-round demand.

How hotel and motel bridge loans are sized

Hotels are business-dependent assets, so asset-based bridge lenders usually lend at lower leverage than they would on stabilized multifamily, often in the 50–65% of as-is value range for straightforward deals. When there is a PIP or renovation budget, many lenders size on loan-to-cost and fund the improvements through a holdback released as work is completed. Appraisals for hotels typically separate the going-concern value (real estate plus business, FF&E and flag) from the real estate alone, and conservative lenders lean on the lower real estate number. A strong flag with a long remaining franchise term generally supports better terms than an independent or off-brand property.

What lenders will ask for

• Trailing 12-month and year-to-date P&L, plus prior two years
• STR reports (trailing and competitive set)
• Franchise agreement and any amendments
• Property improvement plan (PIP) and contractor bids
• Management agreement and manager resume
• Rent roll or room mix summary and any long-term group or lease agreements

Full list and timeline on the hotel bridge loans page.