Trestle Studio

What Trestle Studio does

Trestle Studio is a boutique real estate investment and development firm founded in 2020 by Jake Lamstein, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm specializes in what it terms "content arbitrage" — unlocking value in hospitality and lifestyle real estate through the strategic deployment of branding, design, and concept development. Its portfolio spans more than a dozen award-winning hotels and 25 food and beverage operations, totaling over 3,400 keys and 2.2 million gross square feet, with combined development budgets exceeding $1.5 billion. Notable brands associated with Lamstein's track record include NoMad, LINE, Freehand, and Saguaro, the latter two of which were sold to Soho House in 2021 following the $400M sale of the Freehand portfolio in 2019.

Trestle Studio operates a service-oriented model delivering deal sourcing, structuring, market and feasibility analysis, concept development, planning and environmental design, art partnerships, construction oversight, hotel and F&B pre-development, operator selection, and asset management services. The firm is brand-agnostic, partnering with best-in-class operators (including Soho House, Roman and Williams, Post Company, SomeraRoad, and others) on a project-by-project basis. Services are provided exclusively to a roster of preferred partners and select institutional investors including Square Mile Capital, Prospect Ridge, and Yucaipa. Active and recent projects span multiple US markets including NYC, LA, Chicago, Miami, DC, Austin, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Scottsdale, Palm Springs, Nashville, Chattanooga, San Antonio, Lakeway, and London.

The firm is privately held with no public listing, operates with a lean 1-10 employee base, and in January 2025 closed a $79,000,000 funding round led by Fortress Investment Group. Revenue is generated through a combination of professional services fees, development and consulting fees, brand licensing arrangements, and equity appreciation on invested assets. The GTM motion is exclusively relationship-driven, targeting enterprise counterparties through direct partner engagement rather than broad market demand generation.

Name

Trestle Studio

Legal name

Trestle Studio LLC

Website

https://trestlestudio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Trestle Studio is a boutique Chicago-based real estate investment and development firm specializing in lifestyle hospitality assets, providing deal sourcing, branding, design, and asset management services exclusively to preferred institutional partners and operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Investment & Development

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312), Traveler Accommodation (7211), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Real Estate (6500), Hotels & Motels (7011)

akta.pro primary industry

Hospitality (Hotel) Property Management (BPAJAGAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

New-Listing Onboarding, Setup & Launch Services (THAMAKAO)

Keywords

• Real estate investment
• Hospitality development
• Asset management
• Real estate consulting
• Lifestyle hotel development

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Investment Returns: Returns generated through strategic acquisition, development, and value-creation in lifestyle real estate assets including hotels and F&B operations. Revenue derived from equity appreciation and asset value appreciation.
2. Development and Consulting Fees: Fees for services including deal sourcing, structuring, market analysis, concept development, construction oversight, and asset management provided to preferred partners.
3. Brand Creation and Licensing: Revenue from creation and proliferation of lifestyle hotel brands (NoMad, LINE, Freehand, Saguaro) through development partnerships and brand licensing arrangements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Trestle Studio is a boutique real estate investment and development firm that sources, structures, develops, and manages lifestyle real estate assets including hotels, residential properties, and food and beverage operations for preferred partners. The firm specializes in content arbitrage through strategic deployment of branding and design, offering deal sourcing, market and feasibility analysis, concept development, planning and design, construction oversight, brand creation, and asset management services across the hospitality sector.

Product overview

Trestle Studio is a boutique real estate investment and development firm specializing in content arbitrage through branding and design. The company operates a service-oriented model offering consulting, diligence, brand creation, and asset management services to preferred partners. Their portfolio includes multiple lifestyle hotel brands (NoMad, LINE, Freehand, Saguaro) and F&B operations, totaling over 3,400 keys and 2.2 million square feet. The core service offering encompasses deal sourcing, market analysis, concept development, content creation, planning, construction oversight, and asset management across the hospitality and lifestyle real estate sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Boutique Real Estate Investment & Development
• Asset Management Services
• Brand Creation & Licensing

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $400M sale of Freehand portfolio in 2019
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered former core partner, major and project partner.

• Sydell Groupformer core partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder Jake Lamstein served as Managing Partner & Chief Development Officer at Sydell Group from 2008, leading conceptualization, design, branding, development, and construction of NoMad, LINE, Freehand, and Saguaro brands. Trestle Studio was founded after this tenure. The firm orchestrated the $400M sale of the Freehand portfolio in 2019 and the sale of LINE and Saguaro brands to Soho House in 2021.
• Soho HousemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAcquired the LINE and Saguaro brands from Sydell Group in 2021. Soho House is a select client of Trestle Studio, continuing the relationship from when the brands were developed.
• Michael HSU Office of Architectureproject partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm collaborating with Trestle Studio on Sítio El Tropicano Hotel in San Antonio, TX (315 keys, in development).
• Jenny Bukovec Designproject partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerInterior design firm collaborating with Trestle Studio on Hotel Chalet in Chattanooga, TN (opened October 2023, 127 keys).
• Post Companyproject partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign firm that designed PASEO Tower 2 in Nashville, TN (180 keys/146 branded residences), a Trestle Studio project developed in partnership with SomeraRoad.
• SomeraRoadproject partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for PASEO Tower 2 in Nashville, TN (180 keys/146 branded residences).
• Studio Vogelsangproject partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign firm that designed Principe restaurant in SoHo, NYC (115 seat Italian inspired seafood restaurant and bar, opened March 2023).
• Sean Knibbproject partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign collaborator on The LINE San Francisco (236 keys/9,000 sf F&B, opened September 2022).
• Roman and Williamsproject partnerStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign firm that designed NoMad London (91 keys/15,000 sf F&B, opened May 2021).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sydell Group: Trestle founder Jake Lamstein's former firm where he served as Managing Partner. Sydell is a leading lifestyle hotel developer behind the NoMad, LINE, Freehand, and Saguaro brands — exactly the same brands Trestle now leverages in its portfolio and consulting work.
• Andre Balazs Properties: Premier boutique hotel developer and operator behind The Standard, Chiltern Firehouse, and The Carlyle. Comparable to Trestle as a lifestyle hotel investment and brand-creation firm with founder Jake Lamstein having previously worked there.
• Proper Hotels & Resorts: Austin/LA-based lifestyle hotel brand developing design-forward boutique properties. Directly comparable to Trestle's brand-creation and adaptive-reuse approach for lifestyle hotel assets.
• Ace Hotel Group: Iconic lifestyle hotel brand with adaptive-reuse properties across US/Europe/Asia. Comparable to Trestle for its focus on differentiated design, F&B programming, and brand-driven value creation in heritage and infill locations.
• Bunkhouse Group: Austin-based boutique hotel developer founded by Liz Lambert focused on adaptive reuse and authentic place-making. Highly comparable to Trestle for boutique lifestyle hotel development, brand identity creation, and F&B integration.
• Aparium Hotel Group: Milwaukee-based independent hotel operator developing boutique lifestyle properties. Comparable to Trestle for adaptive-reuse and new-build boutique hotel development with integrated F&B.
• 1 Hotels: SH Hotels & Resorts' luxury lifestyle brand focused on sustainability and nature-inspired design. Comparable to Trestle for premium lifestyle hotel brand development and design-led positioning.
• The Standard Hotels: Design-forward lifestyle hotel brand with properties in NYC, LA, Miami, London. Directly comparable to Trestle's brand-agnostic approach and focus on differentiated hospitality experiences and F&B.

Broad incumbents

• Soho House & Co: Global membership-based lifestyle hotel and club operator that acquired LINE and Saguaro brands from Trestle-affiliated principals in 2021. Comparable as a major acquirer and operator in the lifestyle hospitality space.
• Highgate Hotels: Major hospitality management and investment firm operating 500+ hotels across lifestyle and luxury segments. Comparable as a scaled hospitality investor and operator, though broader than Trestle's boutique positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Trestle Studio