German real estate investment firm KanAm Grund Group has joined forces with Balearic Islands-based Barcelo Gestion Hotelera S.L., parent of Barceló Hotel Group, to invest in upscale hotels in northern and western Europe.
No specific developments have been announced as part of the joint venture. In a news release, the partners said they will concentrate on developing hotels in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and The Netherlands.
Other market targets will be France, Ireland, Italy, Scandinavian and Nordic countries and the United Kingdom, and “investment strategies will range from a change of operator and/or refurbishment CapEx actions up to a full redevelopment strategy, including conversion from office to hotel,” according to the release.
Barceló will manage any hotels stemming from the partnership under long-term lease agreements.
Olivier Catusse, KanAm’s managing partner and CEO, said the joint venture “allows us to seize high-potential opportunities in a sector where we see future growth by leveraging our pan-European local presence for sourcing, whilst also benefiting from the operational track record of one of the most recognized names in global tourism.”
Included in Frankfurt-based KanAm Grund Group's investment and ownership divisions is EURAMCO Holding GmbH and KanAm Gruppe. According to CoStar, KanAm has two currently open funds — KanAm Grund Europe and KanAm Grund German Development — that invest across all real estate classes, with a main focus on office.
KanAm's existing hotel assets include the 309-room Leonardo Hotel Berlin Mitte; 186-room NH Collection Antwerp Centre, and 164-room Holiday Inn Zurich-Messe.
Barceló Hotel Group, which has numerous travel- and meetings, incentives, conventions and expositions-related brands, has four hotel brands: Barceló Hotels & Resorts, Occidental Hotels & Resorts, Allegro Hotels and Royal Hideaway Luxury Hotels & Resorts. According to its website, it has 300 hotels and more than 66,000 rooms in 30 countries, and in Europe it has 131 hotels in 16 countries.
In November 2023, CoStar News' German outlet Thomas Daily reported KanAm wrote “down the value of the properties in its open-ended fund known as Leading Cities Invest by about 10%, at a time of challenges faced this year by several real estate investors and developers in Germany.”
KanAm said that decision was the result of “market conditions … being taken into account by the firm’s valuation analysts,” but added the “overall quality of the properties [remained] good.”