Tag: five star hotel

BBVA’s Turkish Partner Buys Hotel Villa Magna For €180M

6 March 2016 – Expansión

Another transaction has been closed in the five-star hotel sector in Madrid. Following the sales of the InterContinental and the Ritz, now Hotel Villa Magna is changing hands. Sodim, the Holding company owned by the Portuguese family Queiroz Pereira, has sold the hotel to the Turkish group Dogus, who will pay €180 million.

Sodim, which has been advised by JLL, has completed the operation that it launched at the beginning of 2015 and which it almost closed half way through last year with the Colombian investor Jaime Gilinksi as the buyer. In the end, the deal with Sabadell’s largest shareholder was suspended because of financing problems, which forced Sodim to make contact with other interested investors and delay the transaction close.

Price

The price agreed by Dogus is slightly lower than the amount agreed with Gilinski – €190 million – but it represents the minimum amount that Sodim set when it launched the process. The Portuguese Holding company paid the Japanese firm Shirayama €80 million for the property in 2001. Years later, Sodim closed the hotel, which is located on the Paseo de la Castellana, to modernise the facilities, involving expenditure of around €50 million. The construction work did not alter the building’s distinctive pink granite façade, but it did reduce the number of rooms down from 182 to 150, as well as increase the number of suites from 18 to 50. In 2009, when the hotel was reopened, Sodim decided to take over the management of the hotel, as it had already done with the Ritz in Lisbon, and it dispensed with Hyatt, which had operated the property for almost two decades.

Brand

Despite the change of ownership, the operating structure may be maintained, given that, according to market sources, the intention of Dogus is to operate the hotel by itself, without involving any international brands, which would somewhat ruin the intentions of Marriott and Starwood, who were negotiating with Gilinksi to take over the management of the hotel.

Dogus is a giant that comprises more than 250 companies and employs 50,000 people. It is BBVA’s partner in Garanti bank. The group, controlled by the Sahenk family, sold a 15% stake in Garanti to the bank led by Francisco González in July 2015 for €1,854 million, which increased BBVA’s shareholding to 39.9% and turned it into Garanti’s largest shareholder.

Founded in 1951, Dogus has interests in the financial, automobile, energy, real estate and tourism sectors, amongst others. The group, which is listed on the Istanbul stock exchange, imports and distributes vehicles from brands such as Volkswagen, Seat and Audi, amongst others. Around 74% of its revenues are generated by the automobile sector.

In 2014, Dogus recorded revenues of €3,231 million. Its tourism division comprises a travel agency and eight luxury hotels – five of which it owns. Some, such as the Park Hyatt and the Grand Hyatt in Instanbul are managed by an international brand. (…).

Original story: Expansión (by Y. Blanco)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Caja Madrid’s Former HQ Is Up For Sale

5 November 2015 – Cinco Días

The former headquarters of the Caja Madrid is up for sale. La Fundación Montemadrid has engaged Irea to search for a buyer for the historical building, located a short distance from the Puerta del Sol in Madrid.

La Fundación Montemadrid, formerly known as ‘Fundación Obra Social y Monte de Piedad de Madrid’, plans to sell the whole property, excluding the premises where Monte de Piedad undertakes its activity, which will be made independent from the rest of the building. In total, the property has a surface area of 25,000 m2, which maybe used as a hotel, retail or office space.

Sources in the market consider that it is likely that the building will be converted into a “luxury five-star” hotel, which may also include some retail space.

If the building is converted into a hotel, then it would be highly coveted by international operators, at a time when Spain is under the spotlight thanks to the decision by Four Seasons to operate the hotel in the Canalejas Complex, and the purchase of the Ritz by Mandarin and Olayan. Meanwhile, in the Plaza Mayor, the Portuguese group Pestana is planning to open a five-star hotel in the Casa de la Carnicería.

Domestic and international investors, both hotel chains and investment funds have already expressed their interest in the property, which could represent the gateway into Madrid for franchises such as Hyatt, Kempinski, Hilton, W and Shangri-La. The future hotel would have around 200 rooms, as well as terrace space measuring 3,000 m2, one of which would be on the roof, with panoramic views of the city. The price of the property could exceed €100 million, and the buyer would also have to factor in the cost of the refurbishment.

No architectural protection

One of the features of the property is the lack of architectural protection, with the exception of the baroque doorway that overlooks the Plaza de las Descalzas. This makes the building a unique opportunity in the centre of the capital, according to market sources, vis-à-vis the Canalejas project, which is being developed by Villar Mir, whose construction has been unblocked this week by the courts, and Edificio España, acquired by the Chinese group Wanda, which had requested permission to dismantle the protected façade of that building brick by brick, to then rebuild it. That request was rejected by the Local Historical Heritage Commission of Madrid. Market sources believe that the operation could be closed by the end of this year or the beginning of 2016, and that the property, if it does end up being converted into a hotel, would open its doors in 2018, after the Four Seasons.

Original story: Cinco Días

Translation: Carmel Drake

Refurb Of ‘Palacio de Congresos’ Will Cost €90M

13 October 2015 – Cinco Días

Turespaña, which forms part of the Ministry of Industry, has now prepared a feasibility study for the renovation of the Palacio de Congresos de la Castellana. It calculates that the project will cost €90 million and it lowers the height of the adjoining luxury hotel.

The Ministry of Industry calculates that the building work to renovate the Palacio de Congresos de la Castellana in Madrid, and to construct a new hotel with more than 200 rooms, will cost around €90 million and will take approximately three years to complete, whereby generating subsequent employment (directly and indirectly) for more than 600 people.

Those are the findings of the feasibility study that Spain’s Institute of Tourism (el ‘Instituto de Turismo de España’ or Turespaña) has made available for public consultation over the next two months (until 7 December). Its intention is to convince potential investors, which will have to cover the construction costs of the project, in exchange for a concession to operate the complex, about the benefits of the project.

The venue first opened its doors in 1971 and closed them for the last time at the end of 2012, after shortcomings were detected in terms of fire safety and general security, which forced it to undertake a comprehensive renovation of the building. Nevertheless, Turespaña acknowledged that it did not have sufficient funds to undertake this investment and that it must turn to the private sector.

The project will be awarded as a 40-year concession agreement, with an annual fee of approximately €1.25 million. According to the document, the work to construct the new five-star hotel will cost almost €22 million. The Ministry of Industry expects that a new 17-storey tower will house the luxury hotel (six floors less than initially envisaged by the public body). The project must retain the building’s main façade, as well as the façade that looks onto the Paseo de la Castellana, which has displayed a Joan Miró mural since 1980 – the mural is expected to be restored at a cost of €450,000.

Five-star hotel

The aim is to have a five-star hotel with 180 double rooms and 36 junior suites, as well as an executive lounge, gymnasium, swimming pool complex and spa.

The document also includes a forecast for investors about the future operating profits of the complex – it predicts an EBITDA of €7.88 million in the fifth year – the first four years relate to the development phase – and an EBITDA of up to €16.78 million in the final year of the concession. (…).

The next step to be taken by whoever wins the public concession will be to request a building permit from the Town Hall.

Madrid has great potential

The Executive encourages potential investors to participate in the project thanks to Madrid’s “significant growth potential” in the area of business tourism. It also presents other arguments in favour of the project, such as the proximity of the site to the Santiago Bernabéu stadium and the lack of other five-star hotels in the capital, where the Four Seasons hotel chain is hoping to open a hotel in the Canalejas Complex that OHL is currently building.

The Government’s hypothesis is that 65% of the revenues will be generated from conventions, meetings and exhibitions, compared with 20% from the business segment, 8.5% from social events and a further 6.5% from overnight weekend visitors or extended stays following congresses or conferences.

Original story: Cinco Días

Translation: Carmel Drake

Project Silk: Sareb Puts €1,000M Debt Portfolio Up For Sale

12 August 2015 – Expansión

Sareb is getting ready to increase its revenues during the last few months of the year. The first half of 2015 saw a slow down in the bad bank’s property sales, as it focused on migrating assets across to new managers. However, the company chaired by Jaime Echegoyen (pictured above) is now going to concentrate on selling portfolios to large funds.

In this context, Sareb is currently preparing its largest transaction to date: Project Silk, comprising small unpaid loans to property developers, amounting to €1,000 million in total.

The project is being led by Haya Real Estate, the real estate manager heir of Bankia Habitat. The firm, which is owned by Cerberus, is responsible for administering the loans transferred by the group chaired by José Ignacio Goirigolzarri.

Initially, property developers will be offered the option to buy up their own debt. Then, any loans that have not been sold will be packaged up and sold in a competitive tender process, to be managed by N+1.

At the end of 2014, the company chaired by Echegoyen held assets amounting to €44,263 million, of which three quarters related to loans.

Revenue drivers

Sales to institutional investors are going to be key for Sareb in 2015, given the slowdown in terms of house sales. Since the end of last year, the company has been focusing its efforts on the process to migrate assets from the former managers – i.e. the entities that transferred €50,000 million worth of problem homes and loans – to the four chosen firms: Haya Real Estate, Solvia, Servihabitat and Altamira.

This migration is due to be completed at the end of the year. Meanwhile, Sareb sold 5,400 homes during the first half of 2015, i.e. one third fewer than during the same period in 2014.

In this context, it is critical that the bad bank increases its revenues from the institutional channel, since its main objective is still the repayment of its debt; and it has set itself the goal of repaying €3,000 million at the end of this year. Currently, the company still needs to return c. €45,000 million of bonds guaranteed by the State.

Sareb has at least two other portfolios, besides Project Silk, up for sale at the moment. Project Birdie is in the most advanced stage of the three – whereby the bad bank wants to sell assets inherited from Polaris. That portfolio comprises three golf courses, two five-star hotels and several residential complexes in Murcia, with a nominal value of €500 million. Sareb inherited them from loans to property developers granted by Banco de Valencia and Bankia.

In addition, the company has launched the sale of a €180 million debt portfolio, secured mainly by land, as part of Project Vega, according to Idealista News.

Many expect Sareb to put new portfolios up for sale after the summer, just like it has done in previous years. During 2014, the company transferred 11 large portfolios for €1,115 million, which accounted for 20% of its revenues. That figure is expected to be higher in 2015. (…).

Upcoming challenges

In addition to its objective of increasing revenues, Sareb faces several other challenges between now and the end of the year, including: completing the migrations to the new managers and adapting to the new accounting circular that the Bank of Spain is preparing for the company.

Original story: Expansión (by Jorge Zuloaga)

Translation: Carmel Drake

German Bad Bank Finalises Sale Of Spanish Assets To Oaktree

8 May 2015 – Cinco Días

Over the next few weeks the German bad bank is expected to sell the assets that it owns in Spain. FMS Wertmanagement expects to sell the so-called Gaudí portfolio, which contains properties in Spain and Portugal, in a single transaction to Oaktree.

“Now is the time to sell the whole portfolio”, said José Holgado yesterday, Commercial Director of FMW Wetmanagement, at the Spanish real estate market’s second investment forum, which was held yesterday as part of SIMA (Salón Inmobiliario Internacional de Madrid or Madrid International Real Estate Fair). Holgado estimated that the value of the portfolio amounts to almost €900 million, although that is the nominal value, which will be reduced during the final negotiations.

The German entity, created in 2010 with assets from the nationalised Hypo Real Estate bank, operates in the same way as Sareb, the Spanish bad bank. Although the nominal value (of the portfolio) is almost €900 million, it is understood that these non-performing loans and assets have lost value since the start of the housing crisis, therefore they will be sold at below market prices, in the same way as (the assets sold by) the Spanish Sareb. Moreover, since (the portfolio is being) sold on a wholesale basis, the cost will also decrease.

Although several funds have valued FMS Wertmanagement’s portfolio, in the end it will be the Californian fund Oaktree, owner of Panrico, which takes over the Gaudí portfolio, subject to the negotiation of the final details. One of the most significant assets in the portfolio is the luxury Hotel Arts de Barcelona, a five star property managed by Ritz-Carlton. This complex was acquired by several buyers in 2006, including one company that was linked to the Singapore fund GIC. The German bank Hypo Real Estate was one of the entities that granted loans (to it). Once HRE was nationalised, part of the unpaid, syndicated debt was transferred to FMW Wertmanagement.

Other funds

According to the specialist publication CoStar, in addition to Oaktree, the portfolio also sparked interest from other funds including Cerberus Capital Management, Orion Capital Managers and Colony Capital. That publication estimates that the final price of the transaction will amount to approximately €500 million.

The sale of the Gaudí portfolio, which is being managed by Cushman & Wakefield, comprises 16 loans in Spain and two in Portugal. According to sources close to the transaction, Oaktree would immediately acquire another five star hotel in Cascais (Portugal), five shopping centres, four office blocks, 17 industrial storerooms, as well as several other residential and industrial assets.

The shopping centres include the MegaPark in Barakaldo (Vizcaya), Heron City de Las Rozas and Plaza Éboli, both in Madrid.

According to Holgado, FMW Wertmanagement commenced operation holding debt from assets worth €175,000 million, of which €100,000 million have now been sold. The director of the German bad bank said that now is the right time to sell given the significant liquidity in the market.

Original story: Cinco Días (by Alfonso Simón Ruiz)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Sareb Is Selling The Assets It Inherited From Polaris

7 May 2015 – Expansión

The company has appointed N+1 to manage the sale of 3 golf courses, two 5-star hotels and several residential estates.

Sareb wants to cut its ties with one of the ‘great chapters’ of the real estate bubble as soon as possible. In the last few days, the company chaired by Jaime Echegoyen has started the process to dispose of the property it inherited from Polaris World, by putting a portfolio with a nominal value of €500 million up for sale. The market price may amount to less than half of that value.

The portfolio comprises three golf courses, two five-star hotels and several residential complexes, built in Murcia by Polaris, which Sareb inherited in the form of property developer loans from Banco Valencia and Bankia. The sale also includes loans with real estate collateral that have not yet been foreclosed.

Sareb has appointed N+1 to manage the process and according to sources at funds consulted by Expansión, the firm has already distributed information to potential investors (corresponding to the so-called) Project Birdie.

The assets and loans up for sale come from Inversiones en Resorts del Mediterráneo (IRM), a company created in 2009 by Bancaja, Banco de Valencia, Popular and CAM to manage the Polaris assets that were left after the property developer’s debt was restructured.

Sareb’s decision to sell has generated confusion for the other two creditors, Banco Popular and Sabadell – following the latter’s absorption of CAM – because they were not notified (in advance) and because they believe that the best way of maximising the value from IRM’s assets is a block sale, given that they comprise a single residential estate and six golf courses. As a result, it is likely that these entities will contact Sareb over the next few days with a view to repositioning the sale.

When IRM was created, the company held assets worth €991 million, although by the end of 2013 – the latest available accounts – they had deteriorated (in value) by almost €500 million. The owners of its capital are Sabadell – covered by CAM’s EPA (Asset Protection Scheme or Esquema de Protección de Activos) – Bankia, CaixaBank and Popular.

Original story: Expansión (by Jorge Zuloaga)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Rothschild Launches Fund To Invest €400M In EU Hotel Sector

13 April 2015 – Expansión

The wealth management specialist creates a real estate (investment) vehicle.

Edmund de Rothschild, the group that specialises in the management of large fortunes, is breaking into the hotel sector. Aina is the name of the real estate fund that Rothschild has launched with the aim of purchasing four- and five-star hotels, (of between 90 and 150 rooms and between 150 and 450 rooms) in Europe.

Managed by Jaume Tapies, the former Chairman of the international network Relais & Chateaux, Aina is seeking to raise more than €400 million, and more than half of that amount will relate to debt. The roadmap predicts the signing of around 20 transactions with an average value of around €20 million to €25 million.

Aina has identified 29 cities of interest, due to their potential for tourism and business, where there is no excess supply or barriers to entry. The list includes two Spanish cities, Madrid and Barcelona, and two others may join them, namely Sevilla and Bilbao. “Spain is a priority country and now is a good time to invest there, as well as in Italy and Portugal, and in the major capital cities such as London, Paris and Amsterdam”, says Tapies.

Aina, whose investment plan will take two years to complete, has a process open with institutional investors to secure €200 million in funding, which is about to close. Edmund de Rothschild will be responsible for the administration and custody of the funds. The minimum investment required to participate is €1 million. The fund will have a life of seven years and the investment period will be three years. The gearing ratio will range between 40% and 50% of the total portfolio value, and on an exceptional basis, may reach up to 60% for a single asset.

Profitability

The strategy also centres on risk diversification. One single hotel may account for 25% of the investment, at most, and no single country may account for more than 40%. On the other side of the scale, profitability will also be high, at 15% p.a., based on the profitability of the rental income and the potential for the increase in the value of the assets.

The fund will focus on finding properties with discounts of between 25% and 40% of their market value. Subsequently, it will increase their values by between 25% and 30% by redesigning their operating models and will obtain a similar percentage from the sale of these properties to investors that have lower long-term profitability requirements.

So far, investors from Spain, South America, Australia and Asia have all expressed their interest in participating in Aina.

In addition to the management team led by Tapies, Aina has an advisory board, which includes, amongst others, Charles Petrucelli, former Chairman of the travel division of American Express; Antoine Corinthios, former Chairman of Four Seasons in EMEA; and Jean-Jacques Gauer, for Chairman of Leading Hotels of the World.

Gabriel García is also advising the fund; he owns the Hotel Orfila in Madrid and is the Chairman of Relais & Chateaux in Spain.

Original story: Expansión (by Yovanna Blanco)

Translation: Carmel Drake

Madrid To Build A Conference Centre & Luxury Hotel Opposite The Bernabeu

19 February 2015 – Expansión

The Town Hall will approve the operation of a conference centre and the construction of a five star hotel in exchange from the renovation of the complex, which will also include a retail area.

It is one of the most iconic buildings in Madrid’s financial district, in particular due to the mural on its facade, designed by the artist Joan Miró.

Built in the 1960s and located on the Paseo de la Castellana, opposite the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, Madrid’s Conference Centre (Palacio de Congresos) has been closed for two years due to the poor state of its facilities, which violate basic safety standards.

But today, the Town Hall expects to approve a plan for the comprehensive remodelling of the site and in addition, to construct a luxury hotel that could have up to 23 floors.

According to sources close to the transaction, the Town Hall will invite tenders for the renovation of the Palacio and the construction of a hotel that do not result in any cost to the taxpayer: the successful bidder will complete the building work, estimated to amount to €86 million, in exchange for a licence to operate the entire complex.

In other words, the management of the Palacio and hotel will be in private hands, but ownership of the space will continue to remain with the public. “The role of the State should be to promote different types of tourism, but given the quantity of highly prestigious tour operators in our country, the best option is for them to take care of the management to ensure we provide state-of-the-art facilities”, explained an internal document about the operation.

Both the Town Hall and the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, have been very involved in the process. They want the new Palacio to be an engine for attracting “sophisticated, profitable” tourists with “higher added value and greater spending power”, which is why one of the requirements of the tender is that the hotel be a five star facility, “capable of meeting the highly specialised demand for conferences and meetings”, said the document.

In theory, the Government will oversee the aesthetics and architectural modelling of the project, which will not affect the Miró mural under any circumstances. The halls in the new building, designed especially to host professional conferences and large events, must have the latest technology and the best audiovisual facilities and scenography. Similarly, the new complex will have to provide a catering service for at least 1,800 diners.

The current surface area of the Palacio is 40,000 square metres, although since the partial remodelling plan approved in 2001, it has been allowed to increase that to 47,000 sqm; additional space that could be used to build the hotel. Moreover, the space available to construct “compatible” businesses (shops, high-end boutiques, travel agencies, etc.) will increase from 25% of the current total surface area up to 35%. The only business that the tender excludes from being housed in this space are large superstores, reflecting its goal of ensuring that the Palacio does not become a kind of shopping centre. “Other compatible uses will be permitted, but the main use will continue to be as a conference centre”, says the report.

Original story: Expansión (by Yago González)

Translation: Carmel Drake