Lodging & Real Estate CONCENTRATION

Hotels are a unique asset class of commercial real estate investment properties, consisting of an operation housed in real estate. Lodging is the riskiest of all commercial real estate asset classes because of its room rate pricing, which fluctuates daily, unlike other property types, such as office spaces, that are secured by long-term leases. This makes hotels the most complex businesses to operate, especially compared to other major property types such as office, retail, multifamily or industrial.

Fritz has long excelled in teaching traditional hospitality avenues such as sales, marketing, and food and beverage. Most students are familiar with these operations in the hotel business; the bulk of companies hire our students to manage these types of operations. Fritz’s concentration in lodging real estate is less known but has grown in importance over the past decade. More than two-thirds of hotels in the U.S. are owned and/or managed by firms involved in real estate.

The concentration combines courses taught in Fritz with those in the Burns School of Real Estate and Construction Management, including:

Hotel Investments, bringing in guest speakers—from lenders to brokers to developers and asset managers—to share their expertise

Lodging Valuation, which details various methods used in valuing existing hotels

Hotel Feasibility and Development, where students learn the methodology involved in conducting a feasibility study for new hotels. Upon the completion of this course, students may also choose to test for the Certificate in Advanced Hospitality and Tourism Analytics (CAHTA), a globally recognized achievement endorsed by multiple lodging industry groups.

This comprehensive concentration is a unique aspect of the education Fritz provides, giving students the knowledge they need to be successful and build their careers in lodging real estate.

If you’re interested in learning more about our lodging real estate program or getting involved through sponsorship or guest speaking, please contact us us at 303-871-4427