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Sawyer Hotel & Residences

Sacramento, CA

The Sawyer Hotel and Residences at the Sawyer are the centerpieces of Downtown Commons (“DoCo”), a 1,000,000 sf JMA mixed-use development surrounding Golden 1 Center, home to the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. The Sawyer and DoCo were developed in a joint venture with the Sacramento Kings and was designed to leverage activity from the 17,500 seat Arena and its CBD location four blocks from the State Capitol Building.

Asset Type

Hotel

Acquired

2012

DEVELOPED

2017

Scope

250 keys, 22,000 SF of meeting space, 45 for sale residences

Key Investment Thesis

Leverage the adjacency to the new Golden1 Center, home to the Sacramento Kings, and prime location in the heart of Sacramento’s CBD, to develop a best-in-market boutique lifestyle hotel and luxury residences with hotel services that would deliver significant premiums over the then-current room rates residential sales per SF.

  • Kimpton Sawyer Hotel – positioned as Downtown Sacramento’s rate and luxury leader, focused on the customer base and active environment derived from Arena events and an NBA affiliation in an already strong occupancy market.
  • Residences at the Sawyer – develop a residential product that did not previously exist in the market including high rise views, hotel amenities, and a prime downtown location. There is no other competitive Residential luxury product in the market.

JMA Value Creation

Downtown Commons has been a catalyst for redefining downtown Sacramento. It has transformed the once-blighted area into a fully-activated, vibrant urban core that promotes foot traffic and collaboration. JMA Ventures worked closely with the Sacramento Kings to create an ecosystem for the Kings’ organization that includes the Kings Arena, practice facilities, Class-A office headquarters, merchandise stores, and ancillary uses while also incorporating other private uses that coexist and complement their operations. JMA’s roles included the following:
Master developer for the entire entertainment sports complex and developer for the mixed-use components
Performed acquisition diligence of site
Managed development and construction
Hired and managed design team to deliver the project with favorable economics
Delivered hotel partnership with national hotel operator
Led construction financing and take-out financing efforts
Provided overall asset management, including retail & office leasing, and financial oversight