Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners (AJ Capital Partners) is a private real estate company based in Nashville that owns and operates lodging accommodations. [1] [2] [3]
AJ Capital Partners was founded by Ben Weprin, [4] the current CEO, in 2008. [2] [3] Other projects have included restorations of existing hotels and development of new properties, several located in Chicago and Nashville, such as Chicago Athletic Association, Soho House Chicago, Thompson Chicago and Hotel Lincoln, as well as Thompson Nashville in Nashville. [5] [6] [7] [2] [8]
The company launched the Graduate Hotels chain in 2014, later selling it to Hilton Worldwide in 2024. [9] [10]
In 2012, AJ Capital Partners collaborated with Soho House Group to develop a rubber belt factory in Chicago's West Loop into a Soho House, an urban, members only club and hotel. [1] [2] [11]
In 2021, AJ Capital Partners announced the Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts, a collection of luxury properties along the Scottish Golf Coast opening in summer 2021 along with the recent purchase of the Slieve Donard in Newcastle County Down, Northern Ireland. Neighbours of the world famous Royal County Down Golf Course.
In 2023, AJ Capital Partners announced Memoir Residential, a novel approach to contemporary urban living, and Field & Stream Lodge Co., a joint venture with Starwood Capital Group.
In 2024, AJ Capital sold Graduate Hotels to Hilton Worldwide, retaining ownership of all real estate for the existing 37 hotels. The company additionally continues to operate all hotels.
Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. is an American multinational hospitality company that manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels, resorts, and timeshare properties. Founded by Conrad Hilton in May 1919, the company is now led by Christopher J. Nassetta. Hilton is headquartered in Tysons, Virginia, United States.
Lakeshore East is a master-planned mixed use urban development being built by the Magellan Development Group in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is located in the northeastern part of the Loop, which, along with Illinois Center, is called the New Eastside. The development is bordered by Wacker Drive to the north, Columbus Drive to the west, Lake Shore Drive to the east, and East Randolph Street to the south. Skidmore, Owings & Merrill created the master plan for the area. The development, which had been scheduled for completion in 2011, was set for completion in 2013 by 2008. Development continued with revised plans for more buildings in 2018 and continuing construction of the Vista Tower in 2019.
Hampton by Hilton, formerly Hampton Inn or Hampton Inn & Suites, is an American chain of hotels trademarked by Hilton Worldwide. The Hampton hotel brand is a chain of moderately priced, budget to midscale limited service hotels with limited food and beverage facilities. Most Hampton hotels are independently owned and operated by franchisees, though a few are managed by Hilton. Hampton by Hilton is one of the largest hotel franchises in the U.S. As of March 2024, the Hampton franchise includes 3,000 hotels in 40 countries and territories.
The Blackstone Hotel is a historic 290-foot (88 m) 21-story hotel on the corner of Michigan Avenue and Balbo Drive in the Michigan Boulevard Historic District in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. Built between 1908 and 1910, it is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Blackstone is famous for hosting celebrity guests, including numerous U.S. presidents, for which it was known as the "Hotel of Presidents" for much of the 20th century, and for contributing the term "smoke-filled room" to political parlance.
Conrad Hotels & Resorts is an American multinational brand of high-end luxury hotels and high-end luxury resorts owned and operated by Hilton Worldwide. As of December 31, 2021, it has 42 locations with 15,085 rooms in 21 countries and territories, including two that are owned or leased with 778 rooms, 38 that are managed with 12,152 rooms, and two that are franchised with 2,155 rooms.
Loews Hotels is an American luxury hospitality company that owns or operates 26 hotels in the United States and Canada. Loews' hotels and resorts are located in major North American city centers and resort destinations.
Cooper Archibald Manning is an American entrepreneur and television personality who is the host of the television show The Manning Hour for Fox Sports as well as principal and senior managing director of investor relations for AJ Capital Partners. He is the eldest son of former professional football quarterback Archie Manning, and the older brother of former professional football quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Eli Manning.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC is an American multinational company that operates the luxury hotel chain known as The Ritz-Carlton. The company has 108 luxury hotels and resorts in 30 countries and territories with 29,158 rooms, in addition to 46 hotels with 8,755 rooms planned for the future.
The Waldorf Astoria Chicago, formerly the Elysian Hotel Chicago, is a luxury hotel located at 11 East Walton Street in the Gold Coast area of Chicago, Illinois.
The Graduate by Hilton Berkeley is a historic boutique hotel located in Berkeley, California in the United States. It is located in downtown Berkeley, just off campus of the University of California, Berkeley. The hotel is listed on the Berkeley register of historic places.
The St. Regis Chicago, formerly Wanda Vista Tower, is a 101-story, 1,198 ft (365 m) multi-use supertall skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. Construction started in August 2016, and was completed in 2020. Upon completion it became the city's third-tallest building at 1,198 ft (365 m), behind the Willis Tower and Trump Hotel and Tower, and surpassing the Aon Center. It is the tallest structure in the world designed by a woman. It forms a part of the Lakeshore East development and overlooks the Chicago River near Lake Michigan.
NEMA (Chicago) (also 1210 South Indiana and formerly 113 East Roosevelt or One Grant Park) is a 76-story residential skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois in the Central Station neighborhood, of the Near South Side. The tower, built by developer Crescent Heights, has 800 apartments and rises 896 feet (273.1 m) making it the city's tallest rental apartment building. NEMA is the tenth-tallest building in Chicago as of 2024 and the forty first-tallest building in the United States. It is the tallest all-rental residential building in the city.
Tru by Hilton is an American chain of hotels owned by Hilton Worldwide.
Laurence Stephen Geller, CBE, is a British-American real estate investor, author and philanthropist. He served as the founder, president and chief executive officer of Strategic Hotels & Resorts from 1997 to 2012. He is the chancellor of the University of West London and the Chairman of Geller Capital Partners.
Ben Weprin is the founder and CEO of AJ Capital Partners, a private real estate investment company based in Nashville. Weprin and AJ Capital founded Graduate Hotels in 2014, later selling it to Hilton Worldwide in 2024.
Optima Signature is a residential skyscraper in the Streeterville neighborhood of the Near North Side area in Chicago. The 57-story building is a joint venture between Optima Inc. and DeBartolo Development. It opened for occupancy in June 2017. The building has 490 units.
Sentral Michigan Avenue or 808 South Michigan (Avenue) is a 479-unit apartment building on South Michigan Avenue in the Loop community area, Chicago, Illinois. It is connected to Le Méridien Essex Chicago at 800 South Michigan Avenue.
Graduate Hotels is a collection of hotels located in college towns, primarily in the United States, launched in 2014 by Nashville-based real estate company AJ Capital Partners and now part of Hilton Worldwide. There are currently 33 operating hotels in the United States and two in England.
900 West Randolph Street, also known as 164 North Peoria, The Row and The Row Fulton Market, is a skyscraper in the Near West Side community area of Chicago. It is located in the Fulton Market District section of the West Loop neighborhood, amid a block of landmarked buildings. It was completed in 2023 with 43 stories, slightly shorter than the original proposal of 51 stories after a series of redesigns. It became the city's tallest building west of Halsted Street. 20% of the units are marketed as affordable housing. It was designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, and it is Chicago's first high-rise built by a Black-owned construction firm.