A cohort-based program for investors ready to move beyond allocation and into ownership. Taught by a practitioner, built for operators. Apply today.
There is a material difference between owning hotel real estate and operating a hotel brand. One is a passive position. The other is a business. This program is for investors who have decided they want the second.
Every module is taught by someone currently underwriting, financing, and advising on hotel transactions. No retired academics. No generalist consultants.
Cohorts are deliberately limited. You will know every participant by name. Relationships formed here are expected to outlast the program itself.
Built inside an active commercial lending practice. Students finish with real lender relationships, real deal flow, and a real path to close.
The program is structured in three consecutive phases. Each builds on the last. By the end, you will have underwritten real hotel acquisitions, established lender relationships, and developed a credible plan for your own deal.
Before you can own a hotel, you must read one. This phase develops fluency in hotel-specific metrics, operating structures, and market dynamics — the vocabulary that separates serious hotel investors from real estate tourists.
The heart of the program. You will underwrite live deals, build your own hotel pro formas, and learn the specialized financing landscape — SBA 504, CMBS, bridge, and proprietary hospitality capital — that most investors never access directly.
Ownership is not the finish line — it is the starting position. This phase equips you to select brands, negotiate management agreements, drive revenue, and position a hotel for value creation and exit. For those pursuing independent brand development, this phase becomes the playbook.
Founder and Principal of Russell & Sons Capital Group, a multi-state lending practice with a concentration in commercial and hospitality real estate finance.
Michael leads a commercial lending practice built around complex deals — hotel acquisitions, CMBS placements, SBA 504 structures, and bridge financings that most brokers cannot execute. He has developed specialist capability in hotel feasibility analysis and underwriting, and actively advises sponsors on hospitality transactions in the Southeast and beyond.
The Academy exists because the market keeps asking the same questions: how do I actually acquire a hotel, how do I finance it, how do I operate it, and how do I build toward a brand of my own? The program is his answer, developed in partnership with a syndication attorney whose investor community pressed for it.
The Academy sits inside an active commercial advisory practice. Many students continue working with Michael post-program — on real acquisitions, underwriting, and development engagements. These services are available to Academy participants and outside clients alike.
Hotel-specific feasibility analysis — from deal-stage practitioner reviews to lender-grade studies. Market demand, competitive positioning, financial modeling.
Full hotel-asset underwriting — third-party advisory or integrated with financing placement. Pro formas, capital stack modeling, sensitivity analysis.
Consulting engagements for hotel development projects — site selection through opening. Advisory only; principals retain operational control.
Full service details available on the Russell & Sons Capital Group website.
The Academy is not a webinar. It is a working cohort — small by design, intensive by nature. Applications are open and reviewed personally.
Tuition varies by cohort structure, personalized deal desk access, and depth of continuing advisory. Precise pricing is shared with qualified applicants after review. Payment plans available.
Apply NowA few questions to help us understand where you are and what you're building toward. Michael reviews every application personally and responds within a few business days.
Thank you. Michael will review your application personally and respond within a few business days. If your application aligns with the current cohort, you'll receive a program briefing and a time to speak directly.
A cohort. You enroll alongside a small group of peers with shared ambition and comparable seriousness. Relationships formed inside the cohort are a core part of the value — in many cases, the most durable part.
We're actively enrolling for the founding cohort. Apply through the form on this page, and Michael will respond with current cohort dates, enrollment status, and next steps. We announce dates to applicants rather than publicly so each cohort is sized to the strength of applicants rather than a marketing calendar.
Tuition begins at $50,000 and extends to $100,000 depending on cohort structure, the depth of deal desk access you select, and continuing advisory. Pricing is transparent with qualified applicants — we share the precise structure once we've had a conversation and understand what you need.
The Academy is an education program, not a lending arrangement. That said, Russell & Sons Capital Group maintains an active commercial lending practice, and Academy alumni are welcomed to work with the firm on hotel financings as appropriate. There is no obligation in either direction.
It is not for passive investors looking for a diversified real estate allocation — there are better vehicles for that. It is not for first-time real estate participants without capital or experience. And it is not for anyone looking for a quick certification. The program is built for people who intend to own and operate.
No. The Academy is an educational program. It does not constitute investment advice, legal advice, or tax advice. Participants are responsible for their own investment decisions and are encouraged to engage their own legal, tax, and financial advisors.