CBRE: Inv’t In Hotels Exceeded €700M In Q1

10 May 2017 – CBRE

Hotel investment in Spain is growing again, as are the main tourist indicators. Just when it seemed as if the YoY growth in hotel investment was beginning to slow down (based on the results for 2016), transactions worth almost 35% more were closed during the first three months of this year, than during the first quarter last year. According to the data compiled by CBRE Hotels, between January and March 2017, investment in hotel asset purchases amounted to €710 million, including not only hotels but also tourist apartments, aparthotels, as well as plots of land and buildings acquired for hotel use.

Of the 44 assets that changed hands during the first three months of 2017, approximately 55% belong to the urban segment and 45% to the vacation segment. With respect to the destination of investments, the Spanish capital stands out, accounting for more than 40% of the total volume invested compared to 27% in Barcelona, which despite its moratorium saw the sale of five hotels. The Balearic and Canary Islands, together with the Costa del Sol, accounted for another 19% of the total investment figure. The remaining investment was distributed across the rest of the peninsula.

During the first quarter, almost 40% of investments were carried out by private investors, compared with 55% during the first quarter of 2016. On the other hand, almost 20% of the volume invested was disbursed by hotel chains and operators, whilst the remaining 40% corresponded to institutional investors, including banks, sovereign funds, Socimis, fund managers, insurance companies and pension funds.

In terms of the types of contract, and based on the data from CBRE Hotels, 45% of the total transaction amount corresponded to operations in which the buyer became the manager of the establishment, whilst the remaining 55% related to investors that assigned the management of the establishment to the existing operator or to a new one.

In terms of the main operations that took place during the first quarter of the year, we highlight the sale of 50% of Centro Canalejas by OHL and Villar Mir; the acquisition of Hotel Velázquez, which was acquired by the Didra group; the purchase of NH Manzanares; and the operation involving the future Generator, which was acquired by Queensgate. At the same time, in the Catalan capital, the Hotel Silken Diagonal Barcelona and Hotel Generator Barcelona were sold, for a combined total of more than €100 million. CBRE Hotels brokered the sale of one hotel in Barcelona during the first quarter of the year.

Finally, several operations involving portfolios of hotels were also closed during the quarter, including the transaction completed by the Portobello group in March, which saw it acquire 95% of the Blue Sea Hotels & Resorts hotel chain, which owns several of the hotels that it manages.

Original story: CBRE 

Translation: Carmel Drake