1. India: Partnership plans 15 hotel openings
Mumbai-based Indian Hotels Company Limited has entered a partnership with Kolkata-based hotel owner and developer Ambuja Neotia Group to open 15 hotels over the next five years as tourism and investment demand grows in India.
Indian Hotels Company is the parent firm of the hotel brand Taj Hotels, Resorts & Palaces, and the 15 hotels under development in its latest partnership with Ambuja Neotia will mostly be branded as Taj hotels or branded villas, the companies said. As part of the latest “capital light” deal between the firms, planned hotels to be developed will include brownfield, greenfield and conversion projects across three Indian states.
2. UK: Law firm office lease breaks regional rent record
Top 50 law firm Birketts took additional floor space in Bristol, England, in a deal that sources said set a new rent record for a city with a limited supply of prime office space.
Sources said Birketts will pay £50 per square foot for the additional space, spanning about 8,000 square feet in a Victoria Street building where the firm already occupies about 7,400 square feet, according to CoStar data. The deal means regional office rents have hit the £50 per square foot mark for the first time, due in part to Bristol’s tight supply of prime accommodations. Analysts predict rents will continue to climb in that city, with big deals already in the works.
3. France: Big transactions boost residential investment
First-half residential portfolio investment in France rose 11% from a year earlier, reaching €1.9 billion, but volume was mainly driven by two especially large transactions. Data firm ImmoStat noted the €538 million sale of Gecina’s YouFirst Campus student housing portfolio, and the €165 million sale of the L’îlot Chirac apartment complex in Paris.
Primarily tracking multifamily portfolio deals, analysts said second-quarter investment increased 32% from the same period of 2024 as investment conditions improved. “The return of major transactions this quarter signals that the market is entering a recovery phase,” with sellers confident of improved liquidity for the residential category, said François-Xavier Pascal, director of residential investment properties at brokerage CBRE France.
4. Germany: Office properties lead largest deals of first half
The office category fielded the largest contingent among Germany’s 30 largest commercial property deals in the first half of 2025, with 11 transactions totaling nearly €1.3 billion. The top 30 deals overall totaled about €4 billion, significantly less than the €5.7 billion figure for the year-earlier period, according to data compiled by Thomas Daily, a CoStar subsidiary.
Retail posted second among categories at €1.1 billion, albeit with only three large deals in the first half. The largest of these, and also the most significant for all property categories, was the takeover of the Porta Group by XXXLutz, in which around 120 furniture stores in Germany changed hands for an estimated €750 million.
5. Canada: Buyers plan upgrades to iconic Ritz-Carlton
Investors Pacific Reach and Dilawri Group are planning significant renovations after acquiring the Ritz-Carlton hotel in downtown Toronto for $247.7 million. The high-profile deal comes as Canada’s hotel industry shows signs of improvement, including rising room rates.
Dilawri co-founder Kap Dilawri called the 263-room property “a true luxury landmark” in the heart of the city’s downtown, as the new owners plan updates to the hotel’s spa and wellness amenities, common areas and conference spaces, according to a statement. Marriott International will continue to manage the hotel without disruption to operations, the companies said.
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6. US: Kilroy leverages rising demand to ramp up office sales
Office landlords across the United States have spent the past few years dumping properties at steep discounts in a desperation-fueled frenzy intended to get troubled assets off their books. Now, however, some property owners have gained the upper hand with help from improving market fundamentals.
West Coast landlord Kilroy Realty is leveraging those dynamics as it plans to capitalize on increased interest in markets such as Los Angeles and Silicon Valley by extending its sales pipeline. The Los Angeles-based real estate investment trust has so far this year landed deals, or is currently under contract to sell, a handful of office properties across its nearly 16.5 million-square-foot portfolio as it looks to take advantage of strengthening capital markets.
This report was compiled from CoStar’s news publications in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France and Germany.