Franklin Street acquires institutional hospitality brokerage
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jan 12, 2026

Franklin Street has acquired an institutional brokerage firm that focuses on hospitality properties in its most significant transaction to date.

Tampa-based Franklin Street now owns Hodges Ward Elliott, which has closed more than $17 billion in transactions in the last five years. HWE will continue to operate under its current name, with leadership based in Atlanta. HWE brokers and staff have joined existing Franklin Street offices in Tampa, Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, Tennessee, and Orlando. With the acquisition, Franklin Street’s total head count has exceeded 400 employees.

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