Hotel Excel Test

I have an upcoming interview with a GP that invests in hotels and was told that after the interview I will be given a 2-hour modeling test. I have limited hotel experience and I'm trying to brush up ahead of time. Does anyone have any case study prompts they can share or at least point me in the right direction so I can get some practice in?

Thanks in advance!

9 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Depending on your level, Adventures in CRE have a hotel model you can download.

Learn the basic metrics such as RevPar, ADR, etc. and how they are calculated, occupancy % levels play a part in this.

Familiarise yourself with the basics of Management Agreements/Contracts in the hospitality industry and the terms that need to be modelled such as FF&E allowance, management fees and incentive fees.

Entry/Exit can be calculated by either a cap rate or an EBIDTA multiple (basically an inverted cap rate) eg. a gross cap of 6% = 16.66x EBIDTA (1 / 0.06).

Everything else is really just typical RE modelling stuff, the key item is just learning how to get to that bottom line NOI. No harm in glancing over different departmental revenue/expenses beforehand but they are generally straightforward enough.

 

Edit: Didn't see the comment from @Capital360. Take his advice.

If you have no exposure to underwriting a hotel deal then I feel like it's gonna be tough for you. It's a little different than most CRE asset classes in terms of UW. I was in a similar spot and ended up buying the full A.CRE Accelerator program, including all the models, as they have a hotel acquisition model. It's expensive but helped me to land the job 🤷. Would definitely try to find some sort of hotel model to look at before the interview.

 

You can go to brokers websites (CBRE, MM, or Loopnet) and fill out NDAs and download marketing materials. Flip to the financials section and study the historical and projected operating statements. After a few you’ll get the gist. Sometimes they even put return models in there for you. 

 

Vel voluptatum repellat pariatur beatae possimus voluptatem eum. Quidem fugit et fugiat quasi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (71) $101
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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”