Hotel Owner December 2018 | Page 8

MONTH IN REVIEW MONTH IN REVIEW www.hotelowner.co.uk 2 3 4 5 6 7 HOTEL SALES INVESTMENT ACQUISITIONS The London Elizabeth Hotel in the Lancaster Gate area of London has been brought to market with a guide price of £42.5m. European hotel real estate investment volumes reached €22.9bn (£19.9bn) in the year to Q3 2018, representing a 3% increase year-on-year. According to the latest data from global real estate advisor CBRE, the total real estate investment volumes for all sectors in Europe was flat compared with the same period last year. Q3 2018 European hotel investment activity was driven by continued growth particularly in the UK, Spain, and Benelux. UK hotel investment volumes reached €6.8bn (£5.9bn) in the 12 months to Q3 2018, reflecting a 15% year-on-year increase, and accounting for 30% of all capital invested into European hotels. Transaction volumes in Spain also remained robust, registering the second highest hotel investment volume in Q3 and recorded an increase of 57% year-on-year. Similarly, Benelux posted strong performance, with an 8% year-on-year increase in the 12-months to Q3, which has largely been driven by activity in the Netherlands. Colin Low, head of hotel investment properties at CBRE Hotels, said: “The growth in key European markets such as the UK and Spain has been fueled by private equity and institutional investors who had experienced yield compression in the maturing hotel markets. “With the heightened investment interest and the threat of constrained supply, investors are starting to look beyond the core hotel markets for opportunities, with Centra Eastern Europe (CEE) taking centre stage.” He added: “In Q3, we saw a visible tightening of yields in key CEE cities where we anticipate further investment deals, both single asset and portfolio investment deals.” The Reuben Brothers have acquired 54 and 55-57 Great Marlborough Street from Quadrum Global in order to develop a new hotel on the site. The site comprises two prominent adjoining freehold buildings currently totalling 44,000 sq ft with 100 ft of prime frontage to Great Marlborough Street. It benefits from full planning consent for demolition and redevelopment into a 118-key hotel with retail, restaurant and bar area totalling 63,400 sq ft over two basement levels, ground and seven upper floors. Along with their existing pipeline of hotel developments in central London, including near Grosvenor Square Mayfair, the ‘In & Out Club’ on Piccadilly and the Millbank complex in Victoria, the Reubens Brothers will be bringing over 1,000 new hospitality jobs to the capital. JLL and Michael Elliott, who advised the sale, also advised the owners on 47, 48 and 49-50 Poland Street which was acquired by the Reuben Brothers in August. Jonathan Goldman, senior vice- president, Hotels and Hospitality at JLL said:“It is rare for a consented hotel development site of this type to become available in such a prime area of London. We were pleased to support Quadrum Global through this sale which is another example of the current strength of the London hotel market.” Mark Shipman, partner at Michael Elliott added: “We are delighted to assist and advise Quadrum Global in executing their business plan and disposing of this prime Soho development opportunity.” The London Elizabeth Hotel hits market for £42.5m The four-star, 52-bedroom hotel is set over six floors and comprises 33,000 sq ft of space, including the Rose Garden Restaurant offering 40 covers. Included in the sale is a car park to the rear of the property located on Elms Mews. There are significant development opportunities for the site, including an extension to the existing property. Centrally located, The London Elizabeth Hotel benefits from being within walking distance of Lancaster Gate and Paddington stations. Alex Sturgess, director in the Savills hotels team who is handling the sale, said: “The London Elizabeth Hotel is an excellent opportunity for an investor to acquire a central London hotel that has a host of development options. We are pleased to bring the property to the market on behalf of our client.” We are delighted to assist and advise Quadrum Global in executing their business plan and disposing of this prime Soho development opportunity Mark Shipman, partner , Michael Elliott 8 1 www.hotelowner.co.uk European hotel real estate volumes reach €22.9bn in Q3 2018 Reuben Brothers acquire Soho site to develop 118-room hotel December 2018