Tag: Sodim

JLL: Hotel Inv’t Reaches Almost €5,000M In 2 Years

11 January 2017 – El Independiente

The tourist boom (which saw record numbers of tourist arrivals and a recovery in demand from Spanish clients) was followed by a boom in the hotel sector (with record occupancy rates and tariffs); and both have been supported by a boom in investment in hotel properties. With tourist activity at record highs and no signs of a slow down in sight, the purchase of hotel buildings has become a cushy deal for investors.

In two years, real estate investment in hotels in Spain has amounted to almost €5,000 million. Following a historical record in 2015, when operations were closed amounting to €2,650 million, last year, transactions were signed amounting to €2,155 million, the second best year ever, according to the latest report compiled by the consultancy firm JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group.

Several major operations have sustained the pace of investment. Just before the end of 2016, Merlin Properties sold off its hotel portfolio, transferring it to the fund Froncière des Règions for €535 million. The sale of the hotel Villa Magna de Madrid by Sodim SGPS to Dogus Group for €180 million represented a new national record in the price paid per room (€1.2 million per room, compared to €800,000 per room in the case of the Ritz in 2015, which had held the record since then).

Other large transactions included the sale by AXA Investment Managers of the Pullman Barcelona Skipper Hotel to Shaftesbury for €93 million; and the purchase of the historical headquarters of Caja Madrid by KKH Capital Group and Perella Weinberg RE for €80 million, which it will convert into a luxury hotel.

In total, investors purchased 130 hotel assets in Spain last year, in addition to the 143 hotels that they bought during the record year of 2015. Madrid led the ranking as the main location for investment, accounting for 28% of the total volume with €597 million. It was followed by Barcelona with €344 million (16%), despite the hotel moratorium declared by Ada Colau’s Town Hall, and Las Palmas (7.4%), Fuerteventura (7.4%), Málaga (7.4%), Valencia (7%) and Mallorca (6.1%).

Investments funds take over from the Socimis

During 2015, the major stars of the hotel investment segment by far were the Socimis (…), which accounted for almost €1,000 million of transactions during that year. But they have been replaced by investment funds, which have become the major players in the hotel investment market, accounting for 51.5% of total volumes.

The investment funds that have accounted for most of the transaction volume have been: Foncière des Régions, with 19 hotels and a total investment volume of €535 million; HI Partners, which has purchased eight assets for €200 million; KKH Capital Partners, which together with Perella Weinberg RE, bought the Celenque building for €80 million; and Internos Global Investors, which purchased Hotel Innside Madrid Suecia for €45 million.

According to JLL’s forecasts for 2017, the hotel investment market will continue to be active and investment volumes will remain similar to those seen in 2016, thanks to interest from international investors. The consultancy firm thinks that the requirement for owners to continuing to reduce the debt on their balance sheets, the strengthening of the strategy by national hotel chains to sell off properties and continue to operationally manage establishments, and the strong outlook for the tourist sector in general place the Spanish hotel market in the investor spotlight.

Original story: El Independiente (by David Page)

Translation: Carmel Drake

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