Peachtree Refis AJ Capital’s Graduate by Hilton Nashville Hotel With $63M Loan
Ben Weprin’s firm secured bridge debt for his 205-room property near Vanderbilt University
By Andrew Coen August 31, 2026 11:26 am
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AJ Capital Partners has landed a $62.5 million loan to refinance its Graduate by Hilton Nashville hotel property as it seeks to capture more market share in Music City, Commercial Observer has learned.
Peachtree Group supplied the three-year loan with two 12-month extension options for the 205-room hotel that opened across the street from Vanderbilt University in December 2019.
CBRE negotiated the financing with a team led by Henry Fenmore, Tom Traynor and Tom Rugg.
Jared Schlosser, head of credit originations at Peachtree Group, said the hotel has performed well in recent years after confronting challenges soon after its late 2019 debut posed by the COVID-10 pandemic. He noted that the hotel has gotten a boost since Hilton took over operations of the Graduate brand in 2024 with AJ Capital retaining ownership, and that this partnership has expanded its business to other customers in Nashville beyond Vanderbilt.
“It’s a great location, and the performance continues to get better and better each month this year,” Schlosser told CO. “This is a beautiful hotel with a really good sponsor, so it checked all the boxes for us.”
Schlosser noted that Nashville’s Midtown neighborhood is one of the city’s strongest performing hospitality submarkets, benefiting from families visiting Vanderbilt yet also less than a mile from the city’s Music Row area. Other demand drivers near the hotel include Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Belmont University and Bridgestone Arena.
Located at 101 20th Avenue North, the hotel has amenities that include a rooftop pool and fitness center. It also houses White Limozeen, a Dolly Parton-inspired rooftop restaurant and bar.
AJ Capital launched the Graduate brand in 2014 with its initial locations near the University of Georgia, Arizona State University and University of Mississippi. The firm, which is run by CEO Ben Weprin, has expanded the brand to 33 hotels near university campuses in the U.S. and the U.K.
AJ Capital and CBRE declined to comment.
Andrew Coen can be reached at acoen@commercialobserver.com.
