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Luke Thompson

Vice President & Director | Capital Markets - Hospitality | Austin, TX
Direct:+1 (737) 312-4356
Mobile:+1 (512) 771-1860
Email:luke.thompson@matthews.com
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About Luke
Luke Thompson is a real estate professional at Matthews™ specializing in hospitality capital markets nationwide. He focuses on originating and closing loans and advising clients through investment sales processes. His methodology centers on structured finance, development, and asset sales.
Before Matthews™, Luke worked in private credit, direct lending, preferred equity, and mezzanine debt at Matterhorn Capital Partners. With over fifteen years of experience in hotel real estate structured finance, development, and asset sales, Luke has built a distinguished career. His background also includes working with the investment banking arm of HVS, the world’s leading hospitality consulting firm, and co-founding a boutique mortgage brokerage firm, F10 Hotels.
In 2019, Luke spearheaded a joint venture to develop a 276-key, dual-branded Hilton hotel in downtown Austin, TX, which opened in 2024. He further expanded his personal portfolio through his investment arm, Coldwater Equites, with the ground up development of the 103-key Home2 Suites by Hilton in Del Rio, TX which opened in late 2025.

B.A., Communications, Business

Baylor University


Affiliations & Memberships
  • Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA) Member
  • Urban Land Institute (ULI) Member
  • Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) Member
  • Texas Real Estate Commission
  • License No. 593889 (TX)
Contact Luke

Case Studies

Image of How Matthews™ Unlocked LifeCo Capital for a Small-Market Hotel Success Story

How Matthews™ Unlocked LifeCo Capital for a Small-Market Hotel

Opportunity Matthews™ Capital Markets was engaged to secure competitive financing for a Hampton Inn & Suites located in Adairsville, GA. The borrower sought to refinance the property following a property improvement plan (PIP). The deal presented a unique set of structural hurdles including a small balance loan under $10 million and a tertiary market location well outside a Top 25 metro area. This is a profile that most Life Insurance Companies (LifeCos) are unwilling to entertain.   The borrower’s priorities were clear: best-in-class pricing, ease of execution, flexible and non-restrictive terms, and low closings cost. This was in addition to the property still being in the process of restabilizing after its PIP.   Strategy Recognizing that conventional LifeCos appetite for deals of this size and geography is limited, Matthews™ took a relationship-driven approach. Rather than a mass-market process, Vice President & Director, Luke Thompson, worked closely with a LifeCo correspondent partner to fully underwrite the story. This meant building a high-quality loan package that thoughtfully addressed the tertiary market dynamics and evaluated sponsorship in a way that gave the lender confidence in an asset outside their typical geographic comfort zone.   A full competitive process was run to identify the best rate and loan structure that aligned with the borrower’s business plan, with a particular focus on eliminating friction at every stage of execution.   Result The resulting LifeCo loan carried no origination fees, minimal recourse, and capped legal and closing costs under $10,000. There were no attorney opinion letters, zoning letters, restrictions, or covenants. This lean efficient structure was made possible through Matthews’™ in-house servicing platform and correspondent relationships.   Matthews™ Capital Markets successfully closed the loan for the property, delivering the pricing, terms, and seamless execution the borrower required. This transaction demonstrates Matthews’™ ability to bring institutional LifeCo capital to small-balance, tertiary-market hotel assets, a segment routinely overlooked by most lenders.   Beyond closing, Matthews™ continues to service the loan through its proprietary platform, providing the borrower with an ongoing relationship and streamlined asset management experience.

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Luke Thompson

Vice President & Director