AUSTIN—Earlier this week, Strategic Hotels & Resorts Inc., announced its entry into the Texas market with its intention to acquire the Four Seasons Austin. GlobeSt.com's Anna Caplan recently spoke with Rip Gellein, Strategic's chairman and CEO, to learn more about the deal.

AUSTIN--Thrive FP, an Austin-based commercial real estate investment and lending firm, is launching a new, $50-million fund called Thrive Lending Fund LLC to ramp up its private-lending business throughout Texas.

FLOWER MOUND, Tex.—Lake Grapevine is about to get another hotel and conference center.

HOUSTON--Transwestern's Houston multifamily investment sales group has completed the sale of four multifamily properties totaling 704 units. The properties include Cancun Apartments, Huntington at Stonefield, Legacy Apartments and Hidden Pines.

DALLAS--Venture Commercial Real Estate has represented WinCo Foods in lease negotiations for an 83,000-square-foot store in Lewisville, marking the discount grocer's 100th store opening. The Lewisville WinCo Foods is set to open tomorrow at 1288 West Main St. in the recently redeveloped Old Orchard Village East center.

AUSTIN--Catellus Development Corp. has selected CBRE | UCR as the exclusive retail leasing representatives for Aldrich Street, Mueller's town-center district in Austin.

HOUSTON--HFF has closed the sale of Pines of Louetta North, a 71,090-square-foot retail center in North Houston.

HOUSTON—Atlanta-based developer Songy HighRoads has announced that construction is progressing on two notable hotels in the Galleria submarket— Hyatt Regency Hotel Houston Galleria and Hyatt Place Houston Galleria—with the former slated to deliver in the third quarter and the latter by the fourth quarter.