Access Point Financial, a direct lender and specialty finance company focused exclusively on the hospitality industry, is expanding its platform by forming a strategic relationship with hotel specialty finance company Pike Hill Lodging Partners. Pike Hill co-founders Tim Peterson and Ankur Shah will join APF’s executive leadership team as managing directors and co-heads of capital markets and corporate development.
“Pike Hill, with its industry-leading reputation and experience with capital markets, is a natural complement to the dedicated financial expertise that APF possesses for the hotel industry, which together can ensure hoteliers always make informed decisions on available financial offerings to maximize ROI and the achieving of business goals,” said Mike Lipson, CEO of Access Point Financial. “With a proven track record of success in delivering expected results for their clients, Tim Peterson and Ankur Shah are welcome additions to the APF executive team, and we look forward to putting their years of experience to good use in fully serving the growing financial needs of today’s industry.”
Shah and Peterson will be launching and leading APF’s Washington, D.C., office, with a focus on accelerating APF’s growth through expanded capital markets and merger-and-acquisition reach. Both capital market experts will be dedicated to introducing new financing offerings and enhancing brand partnerships.
Shah and Peterson have previously launched specialty finance companies and developed asset-management platforms, and founded Pike Hill Lodging Partners in 2019. Before that, they worked together in leadership roles at SunBridge Capital Management, a multistrategy investment manager, and Choice Hotels International. At SunBridge, they were responsible for making and managing investments in real estate and financial service operating businesses. At Choice, Peterson and Shah were part of the company’s capital markets and M&A efforts.