Key Takeaways
- • Latham & Watkins advised Arzan Investment Management (AIM) on securing a debt financing commitment from Oaktree Capital Management funds for its GCC hospitality platform, demonstrating strong institutional appetite for regional real estate assets.
- • The financing will accelerate AIM's strategy of acquiring and repositioning value-add hospitality assets across the Gulf Cooperation Council, with particular focus on gateway cities including Dubai, signaling continued investor confidence in the region's hospitality sector.
- • The transaction builds on AIM's recent momentum, following its 2025 acquisition of Fairmont The Palm, also advised by Latham, indicating sustained capital flow into premium hospitality repositioning in the GCC.
- • The deal underscores growing institutionalization and international investor participation in GCC hospitality, reflecting robust market fundamentals and expanding opportunities in a traditionally capital-constrained sector.
Summary
Latham & Watkins has advised Arzan Investment Management, an alternative investment manager specializing in real estate, hospitality, and credit strategies, on securing debt financing from funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P., a prominent global alternative investment specialist. The financing commitment represents significant capital deployment toward AIM's GCC hospitality acquisition and repositioning platform.
The capital will enable AIM to expand its strategy of identifying and adding value to hospitality assets across the Gulf region, with emphasis on high-performing gateway markets such as Dubai. This strategic positioning reflects AIM's confidence in sustained demand drivers within the regional hospitality sector, including tourism growth, business travel recovery, and the region's position as a global hub.
The transaction follows AIM's acquisition of Fairmont The Palm in 2025, also supported by Latham legal advice. This sequential deployment of capital signals sustained momentum and successful track record execution in executing the platform's strategy. Oaktree Capital's participation reflects the institutional investment community's increasing confidence in GCC-focused hospitality opportunities as the sector demonstrates both growth and institutionalization characteristics that appeal to large alternative asset managers.
The Latham engagement was led by Dubai-based partner Omar Maayeh, with corporate support from associates Tarek Soliman, Ahmed Al Frehat, Sammy Lockhart, and Shiva Dakhili, and finance expertise from Dubai associates Mustafa Darwich, Stephanie Fuller, Anna Van den Ackerveken, and Amelia Griggs. The multi-disciplinary team structure reflects the complexity of cross-border GCC real estate and debt financing transactions requiring both regional expertise and sophisticated capital markets execution.
The capital will enable AIM to expand its strategy of identifying and adding value to hospitality assets across the Gulf region, with emphasis on high-performing gateway markets such as Dubai. This strategic positioning reflects AIM's confidence in sustained demand drivers within the regional hospitality sector, including tourism growth, business travel recovery, and the region's position as a global hub.
The transaction follows AIM's acquisition of Fairmont The Palm in 2025, also supported by Latham legal advice. This sequential deployment of capital signals sustained momentum and successful track record execution in executing the platform's strategy. Oaktree Capital's participation reflects the institutional investment community's increasing confidence in GCC-focused hospitality opportunities as the sector demonstrates both growth and institutionalization characteristics that appeal to large alternative asset managers.
The Latham engagement was led by Dubai-based partner Omar Maayeh, with corporate support from associates Tarek Soliman, Ahmed Al Frehat, Sammy Lockhart, and Shiva Dakhili, and finance expertise from Dubai associates Mustafa Darwich, Stephanie Fuller, Anna Van den Ackerveken, and Amelia Griggs. The multi-disciplinary team structure reflects the complexity of cross-border GCC real estate and debt financing transactions requiring both regional expertise and sophisticated capital markets execution.
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