European hotel real estate investment increased by 13.9 percent year-on-year in Q4 2019, reached to a record-breaking €27.8 billion, according to the latest data from global real estate advisor, CBRE.
Hotel investment accounted for 8.8% of all capital deployed in European real estate in 2019, says CBRE.
The UK remained the largest investment market for hotel investment in Europe, capturing 26.1% of capital deployed. However, investment volumes in the UK were down 7.4% on 2018.
Hotel investment in Italy continued to gain momentum, increasing 141% year-on-year and maintaining its place as the third largest European hotel market. Italy had a particularly strong end to the year with 21 deals taking place in the final quarter. Two landmark deals included the acquisition of the Venice Murano luxury hotel scheme by Hong Kong based Langham Hospitality Group, and the acquisition of the former BNL bank headquarters in Rome by Antirion SGR for €190m (before conversion costs) to realize a 160-key ultra-luxury hotel.
France and Benelux recorded 19% growth in hotel deal volume year-on-year. Whilst the year got off to a relatively slow start, Benelux saw an influx of deal activity towards the end of the year, with transaction volumes reaching over €840m in Q4 2019 alone.
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Germany had a strong end to the year, with transactions in Q4 2019 totaling €2.4bn. Notable transactions included the first for LaSalle’s Encore+ fund, having completed on the ibis Budget and Adagio Access aparthotel in Munich’s Olympiapark. Germany hotel investment increased by 24.5% year-on-year.
”A flurry of deal activity in Q4 2019 helped the European hotel investment market achieve impressive growth figures. Strong investor demand from more core investors have compressed yields in the traditional markets, resulting in higher return investors looking for opportunities in CEE and Portugal,” said Paul Kapiris, Director, Head of Cross Border Hotel Investment at CBRE.
