Ben Weprin

Ben Weprin’s AJ Capital Partners graduated to new heights over the past year with one of its chief brands.

AJ Capital — the AJ stands for “Adventurous Journeys” — expanded the Graduate Hotels collection last summer with the opening of its first Texas property across from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. The hotel collection also laid the groundwork for further expansion with an acquisition in April 2025 of Hotel Boulderado in Boulder, Colo.

The strength of the Graduate name was also evident when Weprin secured a $305 million loan in September from Aareal Capital and Barings to refinance seven properties in the portfolio. Weprin sold the Graduate brand to Hilton in 2024, which operates the hotels under franchise agreements while AJ Capital continues to own the properties.

“Regardless of the overall volatility or displacement in the market, the Graduate markets have been very steady ever since COVID,” Weprin said. “The partnership with Hilton has been fantastic in terms of building awareness and filling up the rooms and maximizing revenue, and they’ve continued to grow and expand the brand in other markets.”

Nashville-based AJ Capital also expanded its Marine & Lawn resorts brand on a global scale with the opening of its second Northern Ireland hotel, Portrush Adelphi, in April 2025. AJ Capital, too, acquired the Greywalls Hotel in Scotland along with Mid Pines Inn and Pine Needles Lodge in North Carolina’s Pinehurst region under the brand, which focuses on properties near iconic golf courses.

The real estate and hospitality firm also made strides on the mixed-use front in early 2026 by landing a $475 million construction loan from Barings to build its Belle Meade Village project near Downtown Nashville. Vertical construction of the retail and condominium development in Belle Meade, Tenn., commenced in April with the project slated for completion in 2028.

Weprin, who founded AJ Capital in 2008, said the Belle Meade development that will include more than 40 retailers underscores the firm’s hospitality-driven approach to real estate over the last two decades.

“We saw a demand where we could really apply our brand-building and placemaking skills to more of a district-type approach as opposed to a single asset with a collection of buildings,” Weprin said. “Our superpower was that we could have very direct and forthright conversations with brand builders and owners because we are one ourselves, and they would put their trust in us that we were going to build places that would reflect their culture and be meaningful.”