About Phoenix American Hospitality
W. L. “Perch” Nelson, President
Perch Nelson's achievements demonstrate his strengths in real estate development, acquisition and capital management. More specifically in 1995 through 1998, he served as Capital Asset Manager for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts charged with capital improvement budgets. He was responsible for developing and executing the strategic re-positioning plans for the Garden, Hotel and Resort Divisions.
Upon merging with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Patriot American Hospitality, Mr. Nelson also assumed the departmental responsibility of the Capital Management and Product Development for all Wyndham International's brands. He was responsible for 200 hotels, but not only the Wyndham branded hotels but also the franchise products flagged by Hyatt, Radisson, Holiday Inn Select, Hampton Inn, Doubletree, and Marriott. Mr. Nelson, as head of the capital deployment area, managed post merger growth in the development budget from $214 million in 1998 to well over $300 million in 1999.
In September of 2000, Mr. Nelson left Wyndham International, seeking a larger and more diverse role with final decision making responsibility in the acquisition process. He joined a small hotel development firm, which sought to acquire under-performing hotel assets. Mr. Nelson led the effort to acquire, develop and execute the hotel's re-positioning plan. Though the transaction volume was much less than he experienced at Wyndham, he developed a much more methodical and analytical approach to hotel acquisitions.
In the fall of 2001, Mr. Nelson left to acquire hotels for his own personal account. Using his own funds, Mr. Nelson successfully acquired and managed a small group of hotels. This served as an introduction to the day-to-day management required to run a hotel. Post acquisition, he oversaw hotel operations including management of the employees, revenue maximization, purchasing, customer relations, and human resources. Mr. Nelson, as the owner, had a hand in everything related to the operation of the hotel.
It was during Mr. Nelson's time as an owner / manager of this group of hotels that he gained a working appreciation for the need for an experienced, seasoned Hotel Manager. It became readily apparent during this period that a hotel's success was equally dependent on a strong hotel acquisition and on choosing the right Hotel Manager. Thus, he developed the belief that to ensure the success of a hotel project, it was important to partner with experienced Hotel Management firms and when possible, require that the Hotel Manager also invest in the property.
In the summer of 2007 Mr. Nelson joined a major hotel manager to target and to acquire hotels. During this time, Mr. Nelson began the initial development work for a Hotel Opportunity Fund created to provide quality assets and experienced management to accredited Investors.
Phoenix American Hospitality became the Sponsor of the Hotel Opportunity Fund, American Hospitality Properties Fund I in 2009. At that time in the market, there was a gap between value and revenue resulting in a lack of the right fundamentals for sound acquisitions. Thus, no acquisitions were actively pursued. But in late 2010, the market changed and the process of acquiring attractive hotel assets began.
Mr. Nelson has over 20 years of experience in the Real Estate industry in acquisition, development and the asset management of commercial properties. Mr. Nelson achieved Dean's List Honors at Southern Methodist University while pursuing a BA in economics.
Please call (214) 295-3585 or email: contact@phoenixamericanhospitality.com
