09 Nov Windsor Court Hotel Sold to GMB Properties in New Orleans
A 314-room luxury hotel in downtown New Orleans has a new owner, and the buyer is a local company. For independent owners and would-be buyers, the sale shows how a long-held full-service asset changes hands when the seller decides to exit. The sale was reported by LODGING Magazine, which said JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group represented the seller.
Key takeaways
- The Windsor Court, a 314-key hotel in New Orleans, sold to GMB Properties, led by Gayle Benson.
- The seller, The Berger Company and Crow Family Holdings, held the hotel for 17 years.
- The announcement did not disclose a sale price.
- Avion Hospitality has managed the hotel since 2024.
Who sold, who bought, and what changed hands
The seller was The Berger Company and Crow Family Holdings. Over those 17 years, they ran several renovation programs covering guestrooms, public areas, meeting facilities, wellness amenities and the presidential suite. The hotel opened in 1984.
The buyer is GMB Properties, a company run by Gayle Benson, who also owns the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans. The article describes the buyer as a local owner. The announcement did not disclose the price, so anyone trying to size this deal will have to wait for filings or later reporting.
Why the room mix matters to owners
More than 86 percent of the guestrooms at The Windsor Court are suites. That share shapes the revenue mix, the cleaning schedule and the pricing you can hold, so it deserves a closer look than the headline number. A buyer evaluating a property like this will want the room-type breakdown before anything else.
A hotel that is 86 percent suites is a different asset than one with the same key count and mostly standard rooms.
Kevin Davis, JLL’s Americas CEO, framed the sale around the buyer’s connection to the city. In the announcement, he said the sellers were “exceptional stewards of this hotel,” and that the property was going to “a local owner who genuinely understands what the Windsor Court means to New Orleans.”
That line is a sales statement, and it tells you what the seller wanted to hear from the market. It doesn’t tell you how the buyer plans to operate the property. Right now, the public record says the hotel has been managed by Avion Hospitality since 2024, and it doesn’t say whether that contract stays in place.
What else happened the same week
On the same news cycle, Host Hotels & Resorts bought 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge for $202 million in cash and the 308-room Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy West for about $172 million, according to Hotel Dive. Those are public REIT (real estate investment trust) purchases, which is a different class of buyer than a local owner.
Read together, the two deals show that large institutional capital and local owners are both still buying full-service hotels.
Two deals in one week don’t make a trend.
Owners already running a property should know what buyers check first. Our guide to flow-through metrics walks through how to read the spread between revenue gains and profit gains, which is where most buyers start.
Questions people ask
Who bought The Windsor Court in New Orleans?
GMB Properties acquired the hotel, according to LODGING Magazine. The company is led by Gayle Benson, owner of the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and Pelicans.
How many rooms does The Windsor Court have?
The hotel has 314 keys, and more than 86 percent of its guestrooms are suites. Its event footprint covers about 11,000 square feet, split among eight spaces.
Was the sale price made public?
The announcement covered by LODGING did not include a price. Buyers and sellers in hotel deals often disclose terms later through filings or press coverage, so check for updates.
Why does a sale like this matter to independent owners?
It shows how a long-held, renovated full-service hotel can change hands and what buyers examine. The room mix, the management contract and recent performance are the details that shape value.
If you’re thinking about your own path into hotel ownership, the Latino Hotel Association runs its 2026 Annual Conference in Miami on October 20 and 21, focused on market strategy and ownership.
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