ATLANTA, Georgia—Hunter Advisors (Hunter) announced the sale of the Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel, a 408-room, full-service hotel located in downtown Columbus, Ohio. The property was sold by JW Marriott Family Enterprises to Whitestone Companies in a transaction brokered by Robert Taylor, executive vice president, and Sophia Pittaluga, senior vice president, at Hunter.
“This was a complex, high-profile downtown transaction that required thoughtful positioning and disciplined execution,” said Robert Taylor, executive vice president at Hunter. “Both parties shared a clear understanding of the asset’s long-term potential, which allowed us to navigate the process efficiently and bring the deal to a successful close.”
The 22-story Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel offers 23,810 square feet of flexible meeting and event space across 18 meeting rooms, along with Latitude 41, Bar 41, an outdoor pool, a fitness center, and a business center. The hotel is positioned within walking distance of Columbus’s core demand drivers, including the Ohio Statehouse, Ohio Theatre, and the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and is less than one mile from several of the city’s most active districts.
“The Renaissance Columbus Downtown is a true institutional-scale asset that anchors the city’s convention and group-driven demand,” said Sophia Pittaluga, senior vice president at Hunter. “Opportunities to acquire a hotel of this size, with this level of meeting space and a central downtown location, are increasingly rare—particularly in markets with Columbus’s depth of economic and demand drivers.”
“The partnership on our hotel sale with the Hunter investment advisory team of Robert Taylor and Sophia Pittaluga was outstanding,” said Robert Kalchik, president and chief executive officer, JW Marriott Family Enterprises. “Beyond their excellent management of the sale process, their experience and foresight allowed them to anticipate and navigate the unexpected challenges that any deal can encounter. Their relationship-driven approach was instrumental in bringing the transaction to a successful close.”
“The Hunter Advisors team, led by Robert Taylor and Sophia Pittaluga, was a strong partner throughout this process, bringing disciplined execution and a collaborative approach that aligned well with our investment strategy,” said Jay Batra, chief executive officer, Whitestone Companies. “The Renaissance Columbus Downtown is a landmark, institutional-scale asset that fits squarely within our focus on upper-upscale hotels in dynamic urban markets. This acquisition marks our third investment in Columbus over the last 10 months and reinforces our conviction in the city’s long-term fundamentals, as well as our ability to drive value through scale, location, and operational alignment.”
