Selling a Hospitality & Leisure Business
Sell your hospitality or leisure business to buyers who understand brand, location, and experiential value.
The Hospitality & Leisure M&A landscape in 2026
Hospitality and leisure M&A — spanning hotels, restaurants, health clubs, leisure attractions, and experiential businesses — requires advisors who understand the blend of real estate, brand, and operational performance that drives value in these businesses. Post-pandemic recovery has restored buyer confidence in quality hospitality assets.
Hospitality M&A has recovered strongly post-pandemic, with quality hotel and resort assets attracting competitive processes from both PE and strategic buyers. Experience-led hospitality — boutique hotels, wellness retreats, premium leisure concepts — commands the highest buyer interest and valuation multiples. Branded restaurant and food service concepts are active acquisition targets for PE-backed roll-ups and strategic food service groups. The premium end of leisure — golf, spa, luxury accommodation — is attracting strong international buyer interest.
Who buys Hospitality & Leisure businesses
Understanding the buyer landscape is the starting point for any well-run sale process. Different buyer types have different motivations, valuation frameworks, and implications for what happens after you close.
Hospitality PE Funds
Funds with specific hospitality expertise investing in hotel operators, restaurant groups, and leisure businesses. Understand the EBITDAR metrics of hospitality businesses and can model lease-adjusted returns accurately.
Hotel and Leisure Groups
International hotel chains, leisure operators, and branded hospitality groups acquiring independent properties or small chains to expand geographic coverage or brand portfolio.
Family Offices and Real Estate Investors
Investors with combined property and operating expertise are natural buyers for hospitality businesses where real estate and brand both contribute to value.
What is a Hospitality & Leisure business worth?
Hospitality valuation uses EBITDA or EBITDAR (adding back rent) depending on whether the business owns or leases its property. Hotel businesses are also valued on RevPAR and EV per key. Premium branded hospitality businesses trade at 8–14x EBITDA. Mid-market hospitality assets trade at 5–9x EBITDA. Lease-adjusted metrics are critical to understanding the true economics of lease-heavy businesses.
The honest answer: A multiple range on a page cannot tell you what your specific business is worth. The actual figure depends on which buyers are active when you run your process, how your business is positioned, and the competitive tension you generate. That is a conversation — and the first one is always at no charge.
Key deal dynamics in Hospitality & Leisure M&A
Hospitality & Leisure transactions involve deal mechanics, due diligence considerations, and structural questions that are specific to this sector. Understanding these upfront prevents surprises mid-process.
EBITDA vs. EBITDAR
Most hospitality businesses lease their properties, making EBITDAR — earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation, and rent — the primary profitability metric. Understanding the lease structure, rent coverage ratios, and lease lengths is essential to valuing a hospitality business accurately.
Brand and Reputation
Online reputation — TripAdvisor ratings, Google reviews, booking platform performance — is a significant commercial asset in hospitality. Buyers will review review scores, response rates, and trend over time as part of diligence.
What Hospitality & Leisure buyers are looking for right now
The buyer market in 2026 is disciplined and data-driven. Buyers who are active in Hospitality & Leisure are sophisticated acquirers who have specific criteria, detailed diligence processes, and clear views on what constitutes a quality asset. Understanding what they are looking for — before you enter a process — is the most important preparation a seller can do.
RevPAR performance and market position
Hotel buyers track Revenue Per Available Room (RevPAR) performance relative to the competitive set and the broader market. Consistent outperformance signals brand strength and operational quality.
Lease terms and property economics
The length, flexibility, and economics of property leases are critical inputs to value. Favourable long-term leases in prime locations are valuable assets; onerous short-duration leases create risk.
Brand strength and loyalty
Proprietary brands with loyal customer bases, repeat visit rates, and strong online reputation are valued as strategic assets, not just income generators.
Also on Palmstone Capital
Sector-specific M&A guidance
Considering selling your Hospitality & Leisure business?
We offer an initial confidential consultation at no charge and without obligation. We will give you an honest assessment of what your business is likely worth in the current market, what a sale process would look like, and whether the timing is right. If it is not the right time, we will tell you that too.