HHM Hotels is growing its management platform through a strategic combination with Wurzak Hotel Group, adding 11 hotels to its portfolio, expanding its presence in Florida and the Mid-Atlantic region.
The Philadelphia-based hotel management company announced the agreement brings a collection of premium-branded and lifestyle properties under HHM Hotels' management platform. Ownership of the hotels will remain unchanged.
Among the properties joining HHM Hotels' managed portfolio are The Dalmar in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Moxy St. Petersburg Downtown in St. Petersburg, Fla., and the Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue in Philadelphia.
The companies said the integration combines two hospitality organizations with longstanding roots in greater Philadelphia and south Florida. HHM executives said the additional scale will provide operational benefits for hotel owners while creating expanded career opportunities for associates across both organizations.
"This is an exceptional opportunity for HHM Hotels to grow alongside industry partners who share our passion for excellence," Shawn Tuli, managing partner and chief investment officer of HHM Hotels, said in a statement. "We admire the quality of the Wurzak portfolio and the standards they have maintained in Philly and Florida, regions where we already have deep roots."
According to HHM, the relationship between the two organizations spans more than 30 years. Executives from both companies characterized the transition as a natural fit based on shared owner-operator backgrounds and entrepreneurial cultures.
"I have spent my entire career in this business, and the partnerships that endure are the ones built on trust long before they are put on paper," Howard Wurzak, chairman and CEO of Wurzak Hotel Group. "That is what we have with HHM."
Jake Wurzak, co-CEO of Wurzak Hotel Group, said the move will give the company's hotels access to HHM's infrastructure, technology and support platform, while also creating broader advancement opportunities for team members.
The addition continues HHM Hotels' growth strategy of expanding its management platform through targeted partnerships across the U.S. and Canada.
"We are excited to welcome these outstanding properties and their operational, commercial and finance leadership into HHM Hotels," said Naveen Kakarla, president and CEO of HHM Hotels. "We have known and done business with the Wurzak family for decades and look forward to keeping our focus on ownership results while ensuring we unlock career growth opportunities for our team members."