The investment volume achieved in 2016 totalled almost €1.2 billion with 46 transactions recorded in core CEE hotel investment markets. In comparison, 2015 reached just over €700 million with 45 transactions. Austria was the star performer with almost €800 million transacted, which made up 67% of the total investment volume. In other CEE markets volume was lower than in 2015 with a particular decline in Poland which more than halved in volume. The Czech Republic accounted for 18% of total CEE investment share; most of the investment took place in Prague which saw 7 transactions including the Hilton Old Town, Park Hotel and Chopin Hotel.
The CEE hotel industry reported growth across all key performance metrics. Increasing number of tourists have chosen CEE destinations, thus occupancy rates returned or even surpassed the pre-crisis levels, reaching 72% on average up from 69%. As the cost of visiting CEE has gone up along with the increasing hotel room rates, profits have been soaring. The average price per room reached €76.6 up from €73.6 in 2015. While the Eastern markets achieved double digit growth in terms of revenue per available room, the more mature markets of Central Europe including Prague and Warsaw saw growth of around 6%.
Performance change over 2016
Money has been flowing in from Far East Asia, the Middle East, America as well as Europe. Hence the region has become truly international.
“In the last few years the region has seen important inflows of capital as wider groups of investors try to take advantage of the strong performance of the local hotel industry. Among the key factors driving performance are the continued strength of inbound international tourism into the CEE region, supported by Asian travellers as well as the re-focus of North African and Western European tourism. Moreover the willingness of banks to finance hotel acquisitions has significantly enticed high investor demand,” says David Nath, Head of CEE Hospitality Team at Cushman & Wakefield.
Banks’ appetite for lending is reflected in the return in hotel development activity with 2017 expected to deliver an additional 4,000 rooms across Central and Eastern European capital cities. The markets with the greatest development prospects are Warsaw and Budapest. Prague is an exception with a limited pipeline due to planning constraints and only a few sites suitable for hotel development.
“Although we expect growth to slow down slightly, during 2017, the investment market will remain robust compared to other more established markets in Western Europe. We will also see increasing capital invested in less mature hotel investment markets such as Bucharest and Sofia” says Frederic Le Fichoux, Head of Hotel Transactions - Continental Europe and adds “Average daily rate is expected to rise further, generating higher income returns for investors especially in more mature CEE markets, where the development pipeline is limited.”
In 2017, investors’ activity will be notable especially in Hungarian, Austrian and Romanian hotel investment markets, where significant assets are set to be put up for sale or about to be transacted.
Helly Hansen has leased 150 sqm for its first Romanian store in Promenada Mall, owned by NEPI Rockcastle.
A company specialising in the logistics sector, providing goods warehousing and transportation services, has leased a total of over 5,000 square meters of modern space at the MLP Czeladź logistics centre. The transaction was brokered by the consulting firm Rock Estate.
Skanska announced the expansion of its tenant portfolio in the Equilibrium 2 office building in Bucharest by welcoming ONV LAW. ONV LAW will occupy approximately 640 sqm in Equilibrium 2, with the move-in scheduled for December 2025.
New appointments
Justyna Filipczak has taken up the position of Executive Vice President of the CEE residential segment and joined YIT's management team.
Avison Young's Valuation and Advisory team in Poland has welcomed a new member, Michał Marynowski, who takes the role of Assistant Valuer. Among other experiences, he worked at the Court of Appeal in Warsaw, where he was responsible for verifying execution documentation for selected investments, updating data in the premises database for court buildings, and analysing tender bids. Proficient in GIS, AutoCAD, and Revit, he also has strong skills in interpreting planning documents.
Golden Star Group, an international investment firm operating in the real estate sector, has announced the promotion of two key specialists within its Polish team. Paweł Moczybroda has been appointed Group Chief Financial Officer, while Ewa Dragunajtys has been promoted to Head of Asset Management.
While foreign funds are hesitant, domestic Czech capital is not afraid of large acquisitions: from luxury hotels to office complexes. The share of Czech investors in total transactions has reached 78%. Overall, the Czech commercial real estate market posted its strongest half-year results since 2017, according to Colliers' latest report.
Oasis Retail Development & Consulting has announced the completion of the third development phase of Prima Shopping Center, the largest retail park in the central-west region of Romania, which now covers 60,000 sqm.
P3 Ostrava Central has been built on a brownfield site in the Vítkovice quarter and has been benefiting from a strategic location near the main transport arteries in Ostrava. Brainmarket, a company focused on healthy nutrition and dietary supplements, has selected this industrial and commercial district as its new base.
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