As with most other sectors, the pace of hotel sales has slowed after a hyperactive three-year stretch, even though industry professionals such as CB Richard Ellis hotel broker David McElroy say regional performance has not waned in the face of the difficult economy. "The fundamentals of lodging properties in New England continues to improve," relays McElroy, yet the veteran broker and other observers accede that financing sources are skittish regardless of the solid results. The uncertainty has kept some owners from listing hotels for sale and requires an extra push to get deals in play over the finish line. In the case of the Westford Residence Inn, Apple REIT assumed debt of $7.1 million from LaSalle Bank to help facilitate the agreement.

True North Hotel Group of Overland Park, KS, will continue to manage the Westford Residence Inn for Apple REIT, True North's CFO tells GlobeSt.com, but he did not comment on questions regarding details on the sale itself to Richmond, VA-based Apple. Calls to Apple and to Ryan Development principal Robert Walker were not returned by press deadline.

Apple has a national footprint for its vast hospitality portfolio, one that recently brought the REIT to another I-495 community when the firm paid $20 million for a four-story Residence Inn in Marlborough to developer David Leatherwood, as reported by GlobeSt.com. Sources indicate Apple continues to circulate through suburban Boston and may be close to additional hotel acquisitions.