Spokane hotel business gets boost from retired NBA player Mashburn

Former NBA basketball player Jamal Mashburn has become an investor in Spokane-based FairBridge Hotels International.

The company, formed three years ago in Spokane, has developed a network of 24 branded hotels in the United States and Canada. Among other services, the company arranges loans for independent hotel owners to improve their buildings and for rebranding.

The amount of Mashburn’s investment was not disclosed, but the company said in a news release that he would join its board of directors. Mashburn, a resident of Miami, has been an active business owner and investor since retiring from the NBA in 2006 due to injuries.

Spokane’s only FairBridge property is the 79-room FairBridge Inn Express at 211 S. Division. FairBridge also has a hotel in Post Falls.

Tom Sowa