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2 October 2017 – El Boletin
The strong outlook for tourism in Madrid is continuing to attract interest from investors, as shown by the fact that the Spanish capital was the largest focus for hotel investment in 2016, with a total volume of €445.3 million, according to the report “Five Keys Madrid vs Barcelona 2016 – 2017”, published by Irea.
Last year, Madrid recorded 13 transactions in total, the most notable of which involved the sale of Hotel Villa Magna to the Dogus Group. During the first half of 2017, the city of Madrid registered 6 hotel transactions, whereby doubling the number recorded in 2016, with a total volume of €312.9 million. By far the most significant operation in H1 2017 was the purchase of Edificio España by Riu Hotels, which is going to convert the property into a 650-room hotel in the heart of Madrid.
Meanwhile, Barcelona was relegated to third place in the hotel investment ranking in 2016, behind Madrid and the Canary Islands, but ahead of the Balearic Islands, with a hotel investment volume of €214.6 million. Six hotels were sold in the Catalan capital, containing 1,028 rooms in total.
Nevertheless, that investment figure represented a decrease of 38.8% with respect to the maximum reached in 2015, explained in large part by the price rise effect resulting from the hotel moratorium approved by the city’s Town Hall. The first half of 2017 was very active in terms of hotel transactions, with the sale of five hotels and a total investment of €230.2 million. The main transactions involved the purchase of 55% of Hilton Diagonal by AXA REIM (for a price per room of more than €300,000) and the acquisition of Silken Diagonal by Benson Elliot and Highgate.
Demand
Madrid also led the domestic ranking for the number of travellers last year and came second (after Barcelona) in terms of the number of overnight stays, with 9.0 million and 18.1 million, respectively. For another year, the Catalan capital was the leading destination in terms of overnight stays in 2016 (19.6 million); it received 7.5 million travellers, which represents an average stay of 2.6 days (vs. 2 days in Madrid).
The report highlights that in both markets, the behaviour of international demand has been excellent and it notes the growth of 10.2% in the case of Madrid during the first half of 2017, confirming the upwards trend driven by overseas tourists (…).
Supply
In terms of the hotel supply, Madrid recorded a total of 68,790 beds in the highest category (an almost identical figure to that of Barcelona) (…), with 5-star establishments accounting for 15% of the city’s hotel beds in 2016.
Although the statistical data do not reflect it yet, the recovery in the construction of new hotels in the capital is already evident – according to the report – and will be noted in the data for the coming years, given that short-medium term forecasts for Madrid indicate that more than 4,400 new hotel beds are going to available soon, led by major hotel chains and international investment funds, who are backing the city, given the strong outlook for its tourism sector (…).
Key indicators
The positive trend that Madrid has recorded in terms of demand, together with the stable evolution of its hotel supply, has led to the growth of operating results in recent years. The Spanish capital recorded an average RevPAR of €63.30 in 2016, up by 6.1% compared to 2015 and up by 32% compared to the minimum level recorded in 2013 (…).
Meanwhile, the profitability indicators for the hotel sector in Barcelona have also grown significantly in recent years. Revenue per available room experienced average annual growth of 2.3% during the period 2008-2016 (…). In 2016, RevPAR in Barcelona amounted to €95.90 (…) up by 5.2% compared to 2015.
Original story: El Boletin (by E. B.)
Translation: Carmel Drake
