Navigating Hospitality Investments - Sean Hehir - CEO of Trinity Investments [Replay]

Sean is a Principal and Managing Partner of Trinity Investments as well as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Trinity Investments and Trinity Fund Advisors LLC. He oversees the firms’ investment activities, including sourcing and executing investment opportunities, formulating investment strategies, and structuring acquisitions and dispositions. Prior to joining Trinity, Mr. Hehir worked for HVS International.

Mr. Hehir received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University and a Diploma in Hotel Administration from the Hotel Institute Montreux, Switzerland.

On this episode, Sean and Jake discuss:

• Executing $500m of renovation projects
• Raising capital
• Fostering a no-asshole culture
• Strategies and deal criteria

Connect & Invest with Jake:

Follow Jake on Twitter: https://twitter.com/jwurzak 

Take the Hospitality Investing Masterclass: https://learn.jakewurzak.com/

Learn How to Invest with DoveHill: https://bit.ly/3yg8Pwo

Links:

Sean on LinkedIn

Trinity Investments

Topics:

(00:00:00) - Intro

(00:02:11) Sean’s journey from Botswana to the United States

(00:06:50) Influences on Sean’s investment decisions

(00:07:56) Where do you see hotel labor moving within the US?

(00:10:31) How did you learn to be an investor?

(00:13:49) Why drew you to hospitality?

(00:16:25) Does being in Hawaii make you feel left out?

(00:17:53) What trends are you focusing on now that will pay dividends in the next decade?

(00:22:10) Executing $500m of renovation projects

(00:26:02) Raising Capital

(00:27:48) Do you fear more pain in the hotel industry?

(00:29:39) Where will you be investing as we enter another cycle?

(00:31:18) Learnings from the GFC

(00:33:04) What is a GP fund?

(00:36:43) How do you go to major banks and borrow from them?

(00:39:57) How do you design your fee structure?

(00:40:55) What did you learn from the GFC that showed you the massive opportunity coming from Covid?

(00:45:41) How do you think about the enterprise value?

(00:48:16) Thoughts on WFH from a business owner perspective

(00:51:19) Fostering a no-asshole culture

(00:52:36) The process of raising funds

(00:59:28) How do you execute your business plan with an existing manager in place?

(01:02:18) How do 4 Seasons and Hilton differentiate in their focuses?

(01:04:07) Navigating luxury F&B and discussing deals

(01:12:05) Strategy and deal criteria

(01:12:08) Micro resorts

(01:25:23) What makes a great partner?

(01:29:00) What is your favorite hotel?