Sao Paulo, Aug. 17, 2009 - Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, the world leader in investment consulting services for the hotel sector, has negotiated the sale of Sofitel Salvador to the Deville Hotel Chain. This is the first sale brokered by Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels in its first year of operations in Brazil, and represents one of the most significant deals in the country’s hotel sector this year.

Inaugurated 1981 as the city’s first five-star luxury hotel, Sofitel Salvador is located on Itapuã beach. It has 206 rooms and leads the market in terms of average daily rates, placing second in terms of occupancy rates.

Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels acted as sole agent for the local affiliate of Accor Hospitality, owner of the Sofitel brand. It was selected to handle the transaction due to its global reach, with 32 offices in 19 countries, and the experience it has accumulated in consulting for the hospitality sector.

“Global infrastructure plus the market knowledge of the Brazilian team were crucial differentiators for making the deal,” said Ricardo Mader, director of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels in Brazil.

Manuela Gorni, also a director of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels in Brazil, said that the company has been retained to sell two other hotels in the country. She described the prospects for the hotel sector in Brazil as excellent. “We are positioned as the leader in an industry that demonstrates a strong tendency to grow,” Gorni said.

The acquisition is part of a two-year expansion strategy for the Deville Hotel Chain, which is based in Curitiba in the southern state of Paraná. Deville plans investing in the construction or acquisition of hotels and the introduction of innovations at existing units. The Sofitel Salvador acquisition gives the chain a foothold in the Northeast region, adding to its existing presence in the Southeast, South and Center-West of the country.