Hospitality continues to be one of the most active asset classes on RI Marketplace. In 2026, 51 hotels have been auctioned, generating nearly 667,000 listing views and more than 4,300 executed confidentiality agreements. The activity spans value-add, distressed and stabilized properties from a range of sellers, including institutional owners, lenders and private ownership groups, reflecting broader adoption of the auction process across the hospitality market.
Beyond Distressed Sales
That shift is the focus of a recent Hotel Business feature, "Bidding boom: Online hotel auctions gaining momentum," which looks at how online auctions are moving beyond their historic association with distressed sales. RI Marketplace Managing Director Damian Smoter discusses the growing comfort with digital transactions, the ability to reach buyers beyond traditional relationships and the transparency created when qualified investors compete in real time.
"We get 90% of the bids in the final 20 minutes.
That's where you really see the market establish value in real time."
Another Tool in the Broker's Toolbox
The article also explores why auctions are increasingly becoming part of a broker's broader transaction strategy rather than a fallback when a traditional process fails. "It's just another tool in the broker's toolbox," Smoter notes, with the platform working alongside brokers to expand marketing, qualify buyers and manage the bidding process.
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