Tag: beds

JLL: Investment In Student Halls Could Reach €600M In 2017

13 March 2017 – Observatorio Inmobiliario

Student halls of residence are attracting interest from real estate investors. In fact, experts calculate that the volume of investment in this kind of property in Spain could amount to around €600 million in 2017, a vertiginous increase with respect to the figure recorded in 2016, when investment amounted to €45 million, according to estimates provided by the real estate consultancy JLL. (…).

In this context, JLL has prepared a report “The student residence market in Spain”, which analyses, for the first time, the weight and forecasts for this market sector within the wider Spanish real estate market.

According to Nick Wride, Director of Alternative Investments at JLL, “several factors explain the interest in this project. Spain is one of the favourite destinations for international students to spend some of their educational years, which means there is a clear demand for accommodation. In addition, the market has a lot of potential because it is only just beginning and it is already offering some attractive returns with respect to other products – there is no doubt that halls of residences are going to be one of the star real estate products of the year”.

In fact, the initial return from prime halls of residence in Spain is 5.75%, above the yields generated in countries such as the UK and Germany (5% in both cases), where the market is very developed.

Need for supply

At the end of 2016, Spain had 1,129 university halls of residence and colleges, which translates into just over 91,000 beds. By autonomous region, Madrid had the highest number of beds, accounting for 19% of the total, followed by Cataluña (15%), Castilla y León (14%) and Andalucía (12%). Those four autonomous regions accounted for 60% of Spain’s total stock.

Spain has a university population of 1,513,513 students, of which 6.3% are from overseas. This presence is more palpable for students studying Masters (19.2%) and Doctorates (23.3%). 45% of these international students come from Europe, 25% from Latin America and the Caribbean, 10% from Asia and Oceania and the remaining 20% from other regions.

There is a large difference between the projections for expected demand and the current supply in terms of student beds, given that around 375,000 students are estimated to be looking for accommodation (in student halls or rental homes in Spain). If to this we add the fact that over the next two years less than 2,000 new beds are expected to come onto the market, it is clear that a need exists to generate more supply to meet this demand. (…).

The first major operation of the year

Last week, the student halls chain The Student Hotel (TSH) acquired the “La Imprenta” building from Threesixty Developments, a company owned by the US fund Oaktree Capital Management. The property is located on the central Madrilenian street of Cuesta San Vicente, 28. TSH plans to convert the building into a mix-used hall of residence and hotel. The real estate consultancy JLL participated in the operation as advisor to the vendor.

This is The Student Hotel’s second purchase in Spain, following its acquisition of two student halls in Barcelona at the beginning of 2015, Melon District Marina and Melon District Poble-Sec, in an operation that was also advised by JLL. (…).

Original story: Observatorio Inmobiliario 

Translation: Carmel Drake

Excem Capital Launches New Rental Home Socimi

20 February 2017 – El Economista

Excem Group has opened itself up to the real estate investment business targeting young people and has launched a new Socimi “Excem Capital Partners Sociedad de Inversión Residencial”, wich will debut on the stock market in September 2018. The aim of this new entity is to “professionalise” the “growing” demand for rental homes from students and young professionals.

In a statement, Excem Group said that its “Excem Real Estate” division was created with the aim of becoming a key player in the management of real estate investments aimed at young people. In addition, Excem will co-invest in one of the projects.

“Socimi Excem Inversión Residencial” began its activity with an investment capacity of €12 million and is currently undertaking a capital increase, through which it hopes to raise additional investment capacity of €35 million by April.

In addition, it plans to expand its presence to Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Santiago de Compostela, Salamanca, Valencia, Sevilla, Málaga, Córdoba and Granada.

The new Socimi will invest in homes for students and young professionals, as well as hostels and similar properties, to meet leisure demand, and co-working spaces so that young people can undertake their employment activities in collaborative environments.

Specifically, regarding the management of homes for students and young professionals, Excem has said that its objectives include managing professional leases, which is what students and young professionals from all over the world demand when they arrive in Spain.

In this context, the CEO of the Socimi, Antonio Mochón, said that there are increasingly more young people looking to set up home in Spain’s major cities. They are looking for work and some are even developing business projects that they created during their masters or degrees, and these people need “well-managed, high quality accommodation in central areas”.

Regarding the “hostels”, the firm wants to create a network of hostels and tourist apartments for travellers from all over the world with the aim of having more than 3,000 beds in the domestic market and with a view to “globalising rapidly”.

“The scarcity of professionalised supply at the global level makes this a large investment product with strong, safe projections, given the central locations in each city…and the high returns generated by the business”, said Excem.

Original story: El Economista

Translation: Carmel Drake

Hoteliers At FITUR Stand United Against Airbnb

25 January 2017 – Expansión

Same rules of the game / Directors of several major hotel chains are accusing the collaborative economy platform of unfair competition. They are also demanding more regulation and control by the authorities regarding homes made available for tourist use.

Fitur – the major tourism fair – brought together the main players in the tourism sector once again: airlines, hotel groups, transport companies, tour operators, travel agencies and purchasing centres, amongst others. One group of player, who did not attend but who were omnipresent at all the meetings, were online platforms, such as Airbnb. Even the definition of the collaborative economy was generating controversy.

Sources at Madrid’s Hotel Business Association (AEHM), the capital’s hotel trade association, emphasised that the boom in tourist homes is not only a phenomenon that is affecting cities such as Barcelona, although that city is hitting the headlines the most.

“Madrid has seen spectacular growth, increasing from 10,000 to 20,000 homes in one year and from 37,000 to 74,000 beds, although most of those have not been registered”, said the AEHM’s President, Gabriel García. “It constitutes unfair competition for the sector and it must be addressed”, he said.

Gabriel Escarrer, Vice-President and CEO at Meliá, was equally convinced. “There is a lack of regulation in the poorly-named collaborative economy. Meliá spends almost €18 per room in order to comply with regulations, not just in terms of taxes and licences, but also to comply with specific measures such as fire-proofing, security, occupational health and safety. That generates a disadvantage for us with respect to any individual who decides to rent out their apartment; what’s more, in most cases, those apartments do not have a licence or pay VAT”, he said.

For Escarrer, the person responsible “should not only be the owner of the home, but also parties that include such properties on their websites when they do not have operating licences”.

The Director General at the Palladium Group, Abel Matutes Prats, is aware that “we cannot buck the trends”, but, he emphasises that “it is unfair that there is so much regulation for hoteliers and yet a complete lack of regulation, both fiscal and normative, for everyone else. To illustrate the situation, he says that one segment has five referees watching over it, whilst the other has none”.

Antonio Catalán, President of AC by Marriott expresses the same sentiment. He considers that it is essential that the authorities act.

Sources at Airbnb say that they are not opposed to regulation but rather that they require it to “allow people to share their own homes”, in other words, they want “a single legal framework for individuals, distinct from the one applicable to professionals”. And they add: “The existing framework favours professional operators and harms those middle class people and families who want to open up their habitual residence. The collaborative economy needs clear legislation and Airbnb has always been open to working with cities to identify specific solutions”.

Property conversions

(…). “In many urban centres, residential assets are being converted into tourist properties and many cities are just not ready for the change, from the point of view of infrastructure or services. This results in problems for people living together”, explains Escarrer.

For Catalán, the key resides in “what type of city we want, Paris or Cancun, and what we have to do to achieve it”.

“In Ibiza, a type of tourism-phobia is started to emerge, which is hitting hoteliers. We have fewer rooms there than before. We bring fewer tourists than before, with higher quality but less volume. Why are there more tourists? Because of the collaborative economy. We need specific laws, like in New York, to limit the duration of stays and to require tourist apartments to comply with certain minimum health and safety requirements, and moreover, for tax fraud to be prosecuted”, said Matutes.

Airbnb’s sources reiterate that they are “part of the solution” to the challenges that cities are facing: “Airbnb complements the traditional tourist industry and helps to redistribute economic benefits from tourism amongst citizens, communities and neighbourhoods”.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Ministry Of Employment Sells 2 Plots Of Land In Málaga

16 December 2016 – Real Estate Press

The Ministry of Employment has managed to sell off two plots of lands located in Málaga capital, which it no longer requires after it rules out an operation to construct the new headquarters for the Comisiones Obreras and UGT trade unions on one site and a building for the Malagan Confederation of Entreprenuers (CEM) on the other.

On Tuesday, the auction called by the Government to award these plots of land was tentatively resolved, after a first attempt in April 2015 was abandoned because no offers were received. On this occasion, the plots of land were awarded to two provisional buyers. One of the plots, located on Calle Padre Jorge Lamothe, behind the Ibis Hotel, which was previously going to house the new headquarters for local businessmen, was put up for auction for €406,366 and has been awarded to the Malagan-based construction group Rivervial for €610,005, according to sources at the Ministry of Employment.

The other, located on Calle Mesonero Romanos, in the Teatinos neighbourhood, and which had been initially reserved for a new building for the trade unions, is going to be sold to the company Resa, Encampus Residencias de Estudiantes, for €1,752,000, which represents an increase of €184,050 above its original asking price. In this way, the central Government will pocket €2,362,005 from the sale of both plots of land.

High demand for halls of residence in Málaga

In both cases, the plots of land will house halls of residence for students, a real estate product that, according to sources consulted, is in high demand in Málaga at the moment. Sources close to Rivervial agreed; the construction group is seeking to diversify its current business portfolio through this project. In this case, the land is located in the heart of the city’s Historical Centre, next to the Guadalmedina River.

The site on Mesonero Romanos will allow Resa to build its third hall of residence for students in Andalucía; it already owns one in each of Sevilla and Granada. Its Commercial Director, Carlos Cano, explained that the hall of residence in Málaga will have 300 beds in a nine-storey building that will have a constructed surface area of 8,500 m2. “The idea is to start processing the construction licence as soon as the Ministry confirms that we have been awarded the plot, so that the hall of residence can open its doors in September 2019”, explained the Head of Resa, which currently owns 33 properties of this kind, containing 9,000 beds in 19 cities. The building in Málaga will offer air-conditioned rooms, equipped with their own kitchen, study rooms, classrooms, a swimming pool, cafeteria and car park, amongst other facilities.

Original story: Real Estate Press

Translation: Carmel Drake

Hotel Miguel Ángel’s Socimi Will Debut On The MAB In 2017

5 October 2016 – Expansión

This iconic asset will form part of the Socimi created as a result of the alliance between the hotel group BlueBay and Le Royal Hotels & Resorts, which is due to debut on the Alternative Investment Market (MAB) during the first quarter of 2017.

In addition to Hotel Miguel Ángel, the Socimi will initially comprise other hotels located in Mallorca and a commercial development project on the Costa del Sol. In the absence of the opinion of an independent expert, first estimates indicate that the Socimi will be worth around €500 million.

The company has already engaged Armabex to prepare the informative document for joining the market. That firm will act as the global coordinator, alongside PwC, throughout the process.

The contribution of the hotel, which is owned by the Iraqi born British investor Nadhmi Auchi, who owns Le Royal Hotels & Resorts, has been carried out through a company restructuring process performed, primarily, using local companies and entities in Luxembourg.

New assets

“Although during the first phase, assets such as Hotel Miguel Ángel by BlueBay, some hotels in Mallorca and a commercial development on the Costa del Sol, including a hotel, will be included, the group will subsequently incorporate more properties, as a result of the asset restructuring process in commercial, fiscal and corporate terms, as well as due to the purchase of new assets”, explained the Chairman of BlueBay Hotels, Jamal Satli Iglesias in an interview. “The Socimi will be managed from Dubai, where I live, which will enable us to service different investors from the Middle East and London, for the other international investors”, said the Syrian-born Spanish businessman.

For the executive, the constitution of this Socimi forms part of a corporate strategy through which, in line with the actions of other international hotel chains, he wants to separate out the asset ownership and the operational sides of the business. “With this, we are looking for growth and consolidation”.

Amongst the benefits of this Socimi, Satli Iglesias highlights its significant diversification, both in terms of properties as well as lease contracts, which allows it to expect “very attractive returns, which will continue to increase over the next few years, driven by growth in the real estate sector and by the forecast growth in the tourism sector”.

Satli Iglesias said that this operation seeks to obtain “transparency and returns”. “During this first phase, we are more open to the entry of institutional investors and other hotel chains or hotel property owners who may want to join our project”.

BlueBay – the fifteenth largest hotel company in Spain – currently has 42 hotels in its portfolio, of which it owns 50%. “We are committed to a hotel management regime, backed by property ownership, and our future strategy is to increase the number of hotels that we manage under this structure”, he explained.

“Our strategic plan for 2017-2020, which we have just presented, involves increasing our current hotel supply by almost 50% to exceed 60 hotels by the end of the period. In terms of the number of beds, we expect the figure to double from its current level (23,000 beds) to more than 50,000 beds by 2020”, said the executive.

Satli Iglesias explained that in order to undertake these expansion plans, the group plans to allocate around 80% of the company’s profits to growth.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Spanish Hoteliers See No ST Threat From Brexit

3 August 2016 – Hotel News Now

Spanish hoteliers said they have yet to see any immediate negative impact on tourism from the U.K. since that country voted to leave the European Union.

“Spain has long been, and should remain for the foreseeable future, the favored vacation destination for British visitors despite Brexit, and all indications are that bookings well into next year are still healthy,” said Juan Molas, President of the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodations (CEHAT), during a 28 July news conference.

The U.K. is Spain’s largest source market for foreign visitors. Last year, 68 million foreign visitors traveled to Spain, which was an increase of 5% over the previous year. Approximately 16 million Britons accounted for 21% of those visitors.

Following the victory for the “leave” vote in the 23 June Brexit referendum and the resulting drop in the value of the pound against the euro, there was concern in the Spanish hotel sector that the subsequent higher prices would keep Britons away.

But hoteliers noted that British travelers traditionally reserve their holidays months in advance, so there appears to be no immediate negative impact on peak business this summer.

Molas said that momentum should extend into the 2016-2017 winter season and next summer. He added that Spain’s tour operators and travel agencies that sell package vacations—which are used by 70% of British tourists when booking their Spanish holidays—have noticed steady booking trends well into 2017.

“Spain continues to be the most popular vacation spot for the British, who don’t tend to travel for leisure to some of our competitors like Egypt or Turkey, which are more popular among the Germans and French,” he said. “Spanish hotels and destinations offer the British what they want on a holiday: safety and good value for money. We’ve seen the pound-euro exchange rate fluctuate often in the past, and there was no lasting major effect on us.”

But Molas cautioned the weaker pound could curtail daily spending by British visitors in Spain and London will now be a cheaper alternative for event booking than Spanish cities.

“London is our biggest competitor in Europe for the convention trade, and Paris, where hotel prices have fallen because of the recent unfortunate events in France, is also a rival,” he said. “But our biggest competitor in all of this would be for the British to decide not to travel and just stay home.”

Long-term effects of Brexit are still unknown, said CEHAT Secretary General Ramón Estalella.

“We don’t have a crystal ball to see into the future, but there are three important unknowns to consider,” he said. “One is when Britain will finally leave the EU and what further effects that might have. Two, no one knows where the pound will be in value (in) six months or there could be a crisis in Europe dragging down the value of the euro and so making the pound stronger. And three, what might happen in our competitor countries that could affect the British source market.”

The CEHAT executives also presented the findings of a survey of its members—which include 54 local and regional hotel associations and 1.5 million beds—on the sector’s performance through the end of the summer. A majority of the respondents are looking forward to a positive high season thanks largely to a rise in room rates and longer average stays by guests, which will result in higher profits.

Molas said hoteliers are confident that the continuing demand from both Spanish and foreign guests will increase.

“What’s important now is to use the occupancy rates to maximize earnings and promote Spain through advertising and marketing so we can cement its position as one of the leading tourism destinations in the world,” Molas said.

Original story: Hotel News Now (by Benjamin Jones)

Edited by: Carmel Drake