With the temporary takeover of Anbang Insurance Group Co. by China’s government, real estate buyers are eyeing marquee properties from New York to California acquired in a global shopping spree.
The insurer, like its fellow Chinese investor HNA Group Co., went on a multibillion-dollar buying binge over the past few years, grabbing properties including Manhattan’s Waldorf Astoria hotel, which it acquired three years ago for a record $1.95 billion, and Strategic Hotels & Resorts, a luxury-lodgings owner with locations in San Francisco, Chicago and New York. Other purchases included 717 Fifth Ave. in New York, a 26-story office building that’s home to Anbang’s U.S. headquarters.