Tag: destinations

Air City Finalises its Purchase of the Casarrubios Aerodrome, which will Compete with Barajas

10 March 2019 – Voz Pópuli

Air City Madrid, the company constituted by several Spanish businessmen linked to the aviation sector, is finalising the purchase of the Casarrubios-Álamo aerodrome in Madrid. This represents the first step in a project whose aim is to create the largest private airport in the Spanish capital, which would compete directly with Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas.

According to sources, the Elduayen family, which currently owns the aerodrome is expected to sell the asset to Air City Madrid within the next few weeks. Air City Madrid is owned by European Flyer, a company dedicated to training pilots; the consultancy firm Gamt; and the consultancy firm Pasiphae.

The Casarrubios-Álamo aerodrome is located 30 km from the centre of Madrid, on the border of the Community of Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha. The company responsible for planning the new airport expects that a potential investment of around €2 billion will be required over 25 years to acquire the land, urbanise the site, build the access routes and construct a passenger terminal.

The businessmen behind the project are convinced that Madrid needs a new airport in light of the congestion that Barajas is expected to experience over the next decade. In the wider context, they point out that the airports in Cataluña serve 300 destinations, whilst those in Paris and London serve 600 and 800 destinations, respectively. By contrast, the current offer in Madrid stands at just 200.

Original story: Voz Pópuli (by Alberto Ortín & Marina Alías)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Christie & Co: Hotel Investment Amounted to €4.9bn in Spain in 2018

13 February 2019 – Press Release

According to data available to Christie & Co, total hotel investment in Spain in 2018 amounted to €4,860 million, across a total of 223 transactions (surpassing the 185 transactions registered in 2017). That represents an average price per room of €128,000 and an increase of 24.6% in the total investment volume versus 2017, positioning Spain in second place after the United Kingdom (where investment amounted to £6,500 million), but ahead of Germany for the first time (where €4,000 million was invested).

In terms of investor profile, the report highlights the importance of investment firms as the largest source of capital in 2018, representing 53% of the total investment, with more than €2,560 million (up from 42% in 2017). Hotel companies, with 24% of the total investment figure (vs. 20% in 2017) are in second place, and REIT companies are in third place once again with 15% (vs. 16% in 2017). Furthermore, regarding origin, it is worth noting that investment from domestic players decreased in comparison to the previous year (35% in 2018 vs. 51% in 2017), to be replaced by an increase in US investors (40% in 2018 vs 23% in 2017) and the entrance of new investors from Thailand (8%) and México (4%).

The report also emphasizes how the estimated investment figure was greatly increased by portfolio transactions and significant assets, which represented more than 60% of the investment volume across the whole country. Blackstone, which was the main player in 2017 with the purchase of the HI Partners portfolio (€630 million) was again a protagonist in 2018 with the purchase of 48 hotels from the Hispania REIT portfolio, for €1,900 million.

Likewise, transactions such as the purchase of the Atom Hoteles portfolio, the joining of the Chinese group Gaw Capital and the increase in the stake of Omega Capital in the Hospes hotel chain, the 9 urban hotels in the Silken portfolio acquired by CBRE Global Investment Partners and Pygmalion Capital Advisers LLP, the takeover of NH Hotel Group by Minor International, and the purchase of Hotel Villa Magna by the Mexican REIT RLH Properties for €210m (with a record price per room of €1.4 million) caused the total volume transacted in Spain in 2018 to once again beat all the established standards (…).

Finally, the analysis shows how almost 93% of the transactions carried out in 2018 (vs. 90% in 2017) were concentrated in the same six Spanish regions as in the previous year: the Canary Islands (29.6%), the Balearic Islands (21%), Andalucía (16.5%), the Community of Madrid (12.9%), Cataluña (6.8%) and the Community of Valencia (6.3%). Regarding the average price per room per region, the Canary Islands led the ranking in the resort market, with €140,000 per room, while the Community of Madrid led in the case of urban destinations with an average price of over €200,000 per room.

Original story: Press Release

Translation: Carmel Drake

Catalonia Hotels Buys 2 Buildings in Málaga to Convert into 72-Room 4-Star Hotel

25 July 2018 – Press Release

Catalonia Hotels & Resorts has completed the purchase of two buildings in the historical centre of Málaga, whereby expanding its presence in Andalucía. This operation will involve an investment of €24 million, including the acquisition of both properties and the complete renovation of the existing homes. The purchase also involves the operation of 600 m2 of space devoted to retail premises.

The hotel, located at number 5 on the central Calle Puerta del Mar, plans to open its doors in 2020. Its installations will house 72 rooms, a restaurant, bar and fitness area.

This will be the seventh establishment for Catalonia Hotels & Resorts in Andalucía, where it already has two hotels in the town of Ronda, three in the city of Sevilla and one that it recently opened in the centre of Granada.

The company’s expansion department, led by Federico Holzmann, does not rule out continuing to study opportunities in the south of Spain. According to Holzmann, “Andalucía is a very attractive market for us, where tourism is continuing to grow. Towns such as Córdoba, Cádiz and Marbella, where we do not have a presence yet, could be interesting destinations for the expansion of our portfolio”.

At the national level, Catalonia Hotels & Resorts plans to open an establishment soon in San Sebastián and another in Bilbao, in addition to the expansions of its properties in Sevilla (Catalonia Santa Justa) and Menorca (Catalonia Mirador des Port).

In Europe, the chain is going to venture into the Italian market shortly with the upcoming opening of Catalonia Milano Centrale, and in Portugal with a new hotel in Oporto.

The 5 new projects share common traits, given that they will all be 4-star superior urban establishments, located in privileged, central and well-connected areas, and equipped with catering, leisure and wellness areas.

In addition, Catalonia Hotels & Resorts is going to expand its presence in the Caribbean with the construction of a 5-star All Inclusive resort on the Riviera Maya with 434 rooms located on the paradisiacal beach of Costa Mujeres.

Catalonia Hotels & Resorts 

A family run hotel chain founded in 1982 by the Vallet brothers. After starting out focusing on the real estate sector, the company inaugurated its first hotel establishment in 1983 to become one of the main hotel chains in Spain in just a few years. Currently, the company has 69 establishments, located in 22 different destinations: 57 hotels in Spain, two in Brussels, one in Berlin, 8 resorts in the Caribbean (4 in the Dominican Republic and 4 in Mexico) and one urban hotel in the city of Santo Domingo. At the moment, Catalonia Hotels & Resorts is a leading player in Barcelona, where it has more than 3,000 rooms.

Original story: Press Release

Translation: Carmel Drake

Christie & Co: There Are Still Plenty of Opportunities for Hoteliers in Spain

22 January 2018 – Press Release

Businesses can look forward to a period of increasing confidence as we head into 2018, according to the latest report by Christie & Co, specialist hotel property adviser in Spain and business property adviser in the United Kingdom. 

In its Business Outlook 2018 report, Christie & Co reviews the most important investment figures in Spain, Europe and the UK, as well as the main hotel indicators for the market in 2017.

According to the data available to Christie & Co, Spanish hoteliers must strengthen their position in the face of the recovery of competing destinations, such as Turkey, Egypt and Greece, which will exert greater pressure on prices and may divert some of the outbound tourism from northern Europe towards other sun and beach destinations.

The report emphasises the increase in investment registered in 2017 in Spain, mostly carried out by investors (51.2%), whose seven largest operations amounted to more than the entire country’s investment figure in 2016. In addition, the proportion of foreign investment represented 56% of total investment and mostly proceeded from the United States, the United Kingdom and France.

Regarding Portugal, the report highlights that only seven deals were known to the market in 2017, involving hotel assets sold individually to hotel operators (MGM Muthu and Hoti Hotels) and investors (Internos). The potential of Portugal in terms of hotel investment is growing, with many investors interested in Porto, Lisbon and the Algarve, mainly due to a remarkable market recovery, which, in the case of Lisbon recorded an increase in occupancy rates and RevPar of 2.8% and 14%, respsectively, during the 9 months to September 2017, with respect to the same period in 2016 (…)

Regarding the UK, where the advisor covers a wider range of sectors, Christie & Co identifies those which benefitted from activity fuelled, in part, by the availability of finance and a surge of investors, many from outside the UK, looking for good opportunities and strong returns.

The continued uncertainty surrounding Brexit has made its impact across all sectors, but the UK has also welcomed a spike in tourism and a surge of foreign capital into the UK market. Asian investors particularly view the UK as an attractive investment opportunity thanks to the country’s stability and relatively low value of the Pound (…).

As a conclusion to the report, Christie & Co believes that the economy is recovering and there are still plenty of growth opportunities, something that they are also embracing, bolstering their teams both in the UK and Europe, to capitalise their expertise to attract and support both new and well-established clients who need help navigating the market, and who want to ensure a high-performing business.

Original story: Press Release

Edited by: Carmel Drake

CBRE: Hotel Inv’t Reached Record Figure of €3.75bn in 2017

29 December 2017 – Europa Press

Investment in the hotel sector in Spain grew by 83% in 2017 compared to the previous year, to reach a total transaction volume of €3.75 billion, according to data from the consultancy firm CBRE Hotels.

The cumulative figure represents a historical record in the Spanish market, exceeding the previous record set in 2015. The increase is primarily due to strong demand from investors to buy and capitalise hotel assets, whereby taking advantage of the economic and real estate recovery in Spain.

According to CBRE Hotels, 190 hotel assets were sold in Spain in 2017, up by 23% compared to 2016, which represented an increase of 25% in terms of the number of rooms sold (28,000). Moreover, a further 2,200 future rooms were also sold last year in buildings and projects still under construction.

The most sought-after hotel assets were 4-star establishments, accounting for 42% of all investments.

The Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands accounted for almost 40% of all investments

In terms of the main investment destinations in the hotel sector, the Canary Islands (21%) and the Balearic Islands (18%), together with Madrid (17%) led the ranking, followed by Barcelona and Málaga. The most significant changes compared to 2016 were seen in Barcelona and the two island regions, which went from accounting for 36% to 15% in the case of the former and from 24% (combined) to 39% in the case of the latter.

In terms of the type of properties, holiday hotels accounted for 60% of the total compared with 40% urban properties. On the other hand, buyers invested in individual assets in 60% of cases, rather than in portfolios (40%).

Regarding the type of buyers or investors that acquired the most hotel assets last year, including not only hotels but also tourist apartments, aparthotels and land and buildings destined for hotel use, institutional investors participated in 55% of operations, followed by private entities and family offices, with 22% of transactions, and other hotel chains, with 21%.

Main operations

The largest operation of the year involved HI Partners, the hotel platform that Banco Sabadell recently sold to Blackstone for more than €630 million. The change of owner of Edificio España also hit the headlines – it was acquired by Riu Hotels & Resorts for €272 million. And finally, the Wave portfolio, owned by Starwood Capital and Meliá, comprising 4 hotels in Lanzarote, Ibiza, Torremolinos and Mallorca, was sold in the middle of the year to London & Regional Properties, on advice from CBRE (…).

“The excellent performance of the main tourism markets and the excess liquidity in the capital market have led to a historic year with more than 150 transactions and where institutional players have been the protagonists once again”, explained the National Director of CBRE Hotels, Jorge Ruiz.

Moreover, he added that “the outlook is very positive and we expect to see more concentration in the market in 2018 and a renewed interest in the tourism industry in our country”.

Original story: Europa Press

Translation: Carmel Drake

RIU Seeks To Grow Its ‘Hotel Plaza’ Business Line

17 May 2017 – Expansión

RIU is on a roll. As it waits for the starting gun to fire on its Edificio España project in Madrid, the Mallorcan hotel chain is analysing other destinations in order to strengthen its Plaza business line, which is strategic for the group, whereby adding new locations to the Plaza brand.

The CEO of RIU and Head of Canary Islands, Morocco, Portugal and Cape Verde, Félix Casado, explained in an interview with Expansión that the group is considering destinations such as Barcelona, Paris and Rome to continue the business it started in 2010, when it opened its first RIU Plaza hotel in Panama. Since then, it has added another five Plaza branded establishments in Berlin, Dublin, Miami, Guadalajara and New York. But, for the time being, it does not have any in Spain. At the beginning of the year, the company announced its plans to team up with Baraka to manage and invest in the mega-hotel that the Murcian group is planning to open in Edificio España.

“We are very excited about the idea of handling this project in Madrid, in particular, in a building as iconic as Edificio España. The negotiations are not proving easy and now we have to wait for the purchase operation to be closed, which has been delayed for three months, before we can start construction”, said the Director. Casado said that his firm’s investment commitment with the Baraka Group “continues”, in line with expectations, with the aim of creating a joint venture to which the hotel chain will contribute 25% of the investment.

In terms of the possibility of undertaking a project on its own, in the event that Baraka does not manage to close the purchase within the scheduled timeframe – i.e. by June – Casado simply said that that option “is not envisaged”. And he added: “The other line would be a separate study that would have to be analysed from the point of view of the required investment and the return”.

Entry into China

Besides the urban business, the hotel group’s growth plan involves expanding into vacation destinations, both in America as well as in Asia.

The company, which operates in 19 countries with almost one hundred hotels, is considering entering China, starting out in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. “We would be willing to invest in all of these destinations. RIU is going to attend the ITB Tourism Fair in China to consolidate its relations there and create new business opportunities”, said Casado.

In addition, RIU has not ruled out returning to Cuba, which it left in 2015, with the management of new hotels. “We are looking at various possibilities to return to Cuba. We have experience in that destination and if an opportunity arises that fits with out philosophy then we will explore it”.

Renovations

In addition, the hotel group is committed to repositioning its products through major renovation projects. Within the framework of this strategy, the Spanish group will spend €400 million this year on construction and renovations, of which almost €150 million will be spent on improving its hotel portfolio in Spain.

“We are diversifying the product and we are updating it, so as not to get left behind, with the aim of ensuring that our clients are happy, which is one of the priorities of RIU”, he said. Recently, RIU opened the doors to its Club Hotel RIU Costa del Sol in Torremolinos, after combining and renovating the RIU Belplaya and RIU Costa Lago hotels.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Rentalia: Tourist Rental Homes Break Records Over Easter

19 April 2017 – Expansión

(…). Over the last few days, Spain’s large cities have experienced occupancy rates of 90.5%, i.e. 9.6% percentage points higher than last year, when the occupancy rate reached 80.9%. That is according to a study of prices and occupancy rates conducted by Rentalia (a company that belongs to the Idealista group). Sevilla, San Sebastián and Barcelona were the cities with the highest occupancy rates.

The cities with the highest occupancy rates over the Easter break were: Sevilla, with 98.3% (+14.6 percentage points higher than last year); San Sebastián, 98.1% (+9.1 points); and Barcelona, 96.6% (+13.9 points). Those with the lowest occupancy rates, but still above the national average were: Granada, 94.7% (+1.4 points); Valencia 93.9% (+12.5); Madrid, 92.7% (+1.2); Gijón, 91.5% (+3.8); Córdoba, 91.4% (+27.1); and Málaga 91.4% (-0.5).

“Beyond the large cities, other areas also recorded good occupancy rates”, said Rentalia. 67.5% of tourist homes on the coast were occupied over Easter, which represents an increase of 19.7 percentage points with respect to last year. Homes in rural areas had an average occupancy rate of 68.7%, which is almost identical to the figure recorded in 2016 (68.6%). “Of all the tourist homes in Spain, including homes in all areas, the occupancy rate amounted to 69.1% in 2017, whereas last year, it stood at 58.2%, which means it has grown by 10.9 points”, said the report.

The average price of tourist homes over the Easter break amounted to €30.40 per person per night. The most expensive cities for renting a tourist apartment between 12 and 16 April were: Ibiza, at €65.20 per person per night; Palma at €50.90; and Barcelona, at €42.30.

The best value-for-money destinations over Easter were Gijón at €20.80 per person per night, Alicante (€21.30) and Valencia (€22.80). In other cities, prices ranged between €24 and €40 per person per night: San Sebastián (€40.60); Málaga, €40.50; Sevilla, €39.30; and Granada €36.10, amongst others.

“In terms of the nationality of visitors, it seems that domestic tourists travelled the most during the Easter holidays, above all, given that 89% of reservations were made by domestic tourists and 11% were made by foreigners”, according to the report.

According to Almudena Ucha, Director at Rentalia, “the occupancy rate this year is the best since 2008. The good weather forecasts and the possibility of going to the beach and enjoying the (traditional Easter) processions without rain means that this Easter broke records for holiday rentals”.

Original story: Expansión (by J. M. L.)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Room Mate Prepares To Enter Holiday Hotel Segment

18 October 2016 – Expansión

Room Mate Hotels, the hotel chain chaired by Enrique Sarasola (pictured above), is preparing to enter the vacation hotel segment and has set itself the goal of having 2,000 rooms in a number of hotels along the coast by 2020.

Specifically, the group founded in 2005, which already has a presence in twelve cities and six countries, plans to inaugurate this new line of business next summer. To that end, the chain is currently analysing different projects and studying operations in the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Cataluña, Costa del Sol and Riviera Maya (México).

“We have taken this decision after listening to requests from our customers, who have been asking us for a long time now to take our philosophy and creativity to beach destinations”, explained Sarasola.

The Director said that the group currently has around fifteen projects on the table at various phases of analysis to determine whether they fit with its standards. “The company is being refinanced. This step forms part of our strategy to grow through turnkey projects”, he added.

The chain signed a €54 million refinancing agreement with Citigroup at the end of last year. Half of that figure will be used to pay off debt and the remainder will be used to finance growth.

The Chairman of Room Mate considers that this move is an important step in the company’s plans: “We want to take the essence of Room Mate to exclusive vacation destinations, specifically: excellent locations, superb design…and innovative concepts”.

In this way, the group’s new beach front destinations will include a wide range of leisure facilities, bars, restaurants, beach clubs and terraces, said Sarasola. “In some locations, we will opt for all inclusive formats, in others we will place the emphasis on the music or on the leisure facilities”, he said.

According to the company’s forecasts, Room Mate will close 2016 will operating revenues of €72 million, which represents an increase of 36% with respect to 2015 (€52.9 million). In the first eight months of this year alone, the hotel chain recorded revenues of €44 million.

Room Mate’s properties will close the year with an occupancy rate of more than 87%, whislt the RevPar (revenues per available room) will amount to €133.42, up by 14% compared to last year.

Room Mate Hotels has more than 1,500 rooms in 23 hotels and plans to open another eight establishments over the next few months.

Sarasola said that the chain has achieved record results in all of its destinations this summer, with the exception of Istanbul, which has suffered as a result of the terrorist attacks. “We are not planning to abandon the destination. We are not going to allow terrorism to change our plans”, he said.

Renovation

In Spain, the Director encourages the Public Administrations to help the sector to renovate the hotel stock…to position Spain as the “Florida of Europe”. He also acknowledged that the lack of Government “is not good for the industry”.

The Executive recently strengthened his commitment to Room Mate by buying an additional 20% stake in the hotel chain that he founded more than ten years ago; he now controls 70% of the share capital. The remaining 30% is held by Sandra Ortega Mera, through the company Rosp Corunna.

Original story: Expansión (by Rebeca Arroyo)

Translation: Carmel Drake

HomeAway: Holiday Home Revenues Grew By 4% In 2015

8 July 2016 – Expansión

Spanish residents spent just over €1,311 million renting out holiday homes in Spain in 2015, 4% more than in 2014, according to a study conducted by HomeAway and the University of Salamanca. If we add to this amount an estimate of the other costs incurred by holiday home occupants during their stays, then this expenditure figure increases to €6,159 million, which represents 0.57% of GDP in 2015.

Over the last two years, between April 2014 and April 2016, the total cumulative rental cost paid by travellers amounted to €2,622 million, and that figure increases to €12,318 million if we take into account all the other expenditure incurred by those users during their stays (in other words, the amounts that users spend in the areas surrounding the properties they rent).

Holiday homes are becoming increasingly popular amongst travellers resident in Spain, according to the data from the aforementioned study. In the last two years, 8 million Spaniards, aged between 18 and 65, have used this business model.

Holiday homes are increasing in popularity against other more traditional option and accounted for 36% of the total market in 2015.

Users

Families lead the ranking of holiday home users, accounting for 45% of total demand, followed by couples, who represent 32%, and groups of friends come in in third place (19%).

Price is the most important and valued factor influencing consumers’ final decisions, according to the study. Location and environment are the next most prized characteristics.

The favourite regions in terms of destinations for users of these holiday homes are: Andalucía (25%), Comunidad Valenciana (14%), Cataluña (12%) and the Canary Islands (11%). Nevertheless, 70% of rentals booked in Spain are made by overseas visitors, given that the country is the preferred holiday destination for Europeans.

Original story: Expansión (by María Sánchez)

Translation: Carmel Drake