News & Stories

Bad Aussee. The rather small Salzkammergut region in Austria will by December 2013 not only acquire a new cure centre in Bad Aussee, but also several apartment blocks which could bring with them up to 500 beds.

Augsburg. The German real estate market is becoming ever more interesting for investors, especially in non-prime locations. As well as the B locations - which have already attracted the attention of some professional real estate investors - C and D locations also have potential. This wasn't the finding of a hotel insider, but of an "asset profiler", an online platform for commercial real estate investment, based on a joint market assessment with BulwienGesa AG. The trend can also be seen in the hotel industry: In the following table,13 chains present the criteria they use for choosing B and C locations and indicate which investors are interested in hotels in secondary and tertiary locations.

Frankfurt. The German hotel real estate market is attracting interest from across the globe. Yet some new large projects have been stopped through the course of the crisis and trophy assets, in particular in popular cities, are rare. By contrast, sales of smaller businesses and conversions are keeping investors and operators busy. This was clearly illustrated last week at a small expert discussion round. Whether this trend accelerates the shift from lease to management and hybrid contracts remains to be seen. A snapshot before the summer break.

London. Internos, the European owner-managed real estate fund manager, has held the first close of its Hotel Real Estate Fund.

Singapore. Subsidiary of Singaporean group Fraser & Neave, Fraser Hospitality aims to be the global leader in the extended stay market. With a portfolio of 50 residences in activity and 20 more in the pipe, Fraser extends its footprints in Asia, its home-base, but not only. Its focus is now on Germany and other European countries. Eager to reach a wider range of customers, the group just launched "Capri by Fraser" - its fifth brand customized for the young e-Traveller.

Bangkok. The Soneva Group by Sonu Shivdasani, the new company formed following the divestment of the Six Senses and Evason brands, has announced it is to focus on developing resorts with private residences.

Munich. The "hotel forum" is searching for the "Hotel Real Estate of 2012". The competition is being held for the tenth time.

Berlin. The Berlin project developer, GBI AG, has founded its own development company. With this, the early acquisition of properties and real estate is given a new significance.

Bethesda. Marriott is about to sell one of its four extended stay brands - "ExecuStay" offering furnished apartments in more than 700 locations across the U.S.. The brand did not suit to Marriott's strategy any more; the sales does not touch Marriott Executive Apartments.

New York. Aloft, Starwood Hotels' midscale brand, this week unveiled a global pipeline expected to bring the brand to 70 hotels around the world in 2013. A game-changer since its 2008 debut, aloft will also make conversions and "adaptive-reuse projects" a stronger part of its global growth.