Can someone explain the financing of the Blackstone/Extended Stay deal?

june 16, 2009: "While Extended Stay, a hotel chain sold for $8 billion near the height of the private equity boom, has filed for bankruptcy, its private equity owner does not appear to have been scarred by the move.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Lightstone Group, which bought the chain from the Blackstone Group in April 2007, only paid $200 million in equity and borrowed a chunk of that for the deal."

only paid $200 million in equity in an $8 billion purchase? and borrowed a chunk OF THAT equity? very confusing.

from a NYT story in 2007: "Lightstone, based in Lakewood, N.J., will finance the purchase with $1 billion in cash and $7 billion in debt." further, "Blackstone will retain a 10 percent stake in the company, Lightstone’s chief executive, David Lichtenstein, said."

so when they paid $8 billion for the company, they were only buying 90% of the company, with blackstone still left holding a stake worth about $890 million?

from a reuters story yesterday: "Real estate investor Lightstone Group LLC borrowed $7.4 billion to buy 680-property Extended Stay from private-equity firm Blackstone Group LP in June 2007..."

i thought they only borrowed $7 billion, not $7.4 billion?

i'm sorry if these are retarded questions, but it's something i'm naturally curious about and i'm genuinely confused.

3 Comments
 

The exact terms and numerical figures of the deal is usually not specified in the media outlet, so basically you just have to be satisfied at getting the big pictures.

This is as far as I can see from the information:

$8b deal; $7b debt + $1b equity. Out of which, Lightstone probably invested $200m of their own capital, and probably recruited several co-investor groups to invest along with them on the equity tranches (probably around $700m and they are probably passive investors who conceded the board control and all its relevant legal liability to Lightstone). Blackstone rolled over its 10% remaining stake roughly valued at $100m.

I think you will see the more detail about this deal through CapIQ.

Hope this helps.

 

Doloremque ea molestias laudantium velit ipsam. Et qui et reiciendis quod cum deleniti. Sit velit amet consequatur et labore quia. Molestiae non adipisci sit commodi ipsum ut quia. Totam vero dolorum tenetur nostrum blanditiis. Asperiores inventore dignissimos ut exercitationem.

Omnis quis distinctio earum ut eos. Molestiae molestiae amet vel dolor nulla culpa ut et. Voluptatibus ut quia modi maiores fugiat optio nihil.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (98) $365
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (356) $61
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”