Beth Gearing is a seasoned business lawyer with more than 20 years’ experience advising executive management in the hotel, hospitality and leisure and real estate industries.
Until recently, Beth served as Vice President, Legal, and Privacy Officer of Delta Hotels Limited which owned, managed or licensed more than 40 hotels across Canada. Beth served on the senior leadership team, providing strategic advice and legal support to senior management, the board of directors and ownership.
Beth’s experience in private practice and as in-house counsel has given her a deep and broad knowledge and understanding of the highly competitive hotel industry. Beth has a proven track record of the successful management of complex transactions, large and small, and legal issues affecting owners, developers and brands.
Beth has acted for hotel brands and management companies as well as hotel and resort owners and developers. She has extensive experience in:
- structuring, negotiating and completing hotel developments, acquisitions, dispositions, financings, leases, terminations and restructurings involving hotels, restaurants and multi-use developments
- identifying key issues in due diligence
- drafting and negotiating hotel management agreements (HMAs), operational agreements and hotel license/franchise agreements
- franchise disclosure
- corporate re-organizations, joint ventures and strategic alliances
- liquor licensing
Representative Transactions
- Beth represented Delta Hotels on the acquisition by Marriott International, Inc. of Delta Hotels’ hotel management and franchising business in 2015.
- Beth represented Delta Hotels on the successful acquisition by Delta of three hotels in Nova Scotia and Alberta. Responsibilities included drafting and negotiating the term sheet, structuring the transaction, selecting and overseeing external legal counsel and reviewing and negotiating the purchase agreement, HMAs and all ancillary agreements and closing documents.
- Beth acted for Delta on the negotiation of hotel management agreements for new hotels: a new build hotel as part of the multi-use Edmonton’s Arena District development and a new build hotel in Waterloo, Ontario.
- Beth represented Delta on all legal aspects of the opening of Delta’s new flagship hotel in downtown Toronto, the Delta Toronto, including the HMA, all required operational agreements and the obtaining of a liquor licence for the 540 room hotel.
- Beth represented Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group, an Ottawa based consortium, on the public-private partnership with the City of Ottawa for the redevelopment of Lansdowne Park in Ottawa, Ontario. The project involved the renovation of the football stadium and hockey arena, the lease of the stadium, the development of a multi-use retail component and urban park, the development and commercial lease of an office building, shared services agreements, revenue sharing agreements and reciprocal agreements.