The record number of tourists, the transactions registered during the first half of the year, and the capital projections position Spain as the top destination for EU real estate dedicated to the hotel sector. Executives from Cushman & Wakefield, Starwood Capital Group, Petra–Hova Hospitality, Mohari Hospitality, Hoftel, Extendam, Silken Hoteles, and Atom Hoteles will examine the transformation and expansion of the industry at The District 2024
The hotel sector is experiencing a golden moment. After a record-breaking 2023 that confirmed post-pandemic recovery—thanks to increased spending and the strong rebound in travel—the desire to travel and invest in leisure remains strong, being one of the top priorities for consumers. Indicators show that the population in the world’s major economies is prioritising investment in experiences, and Spain stands out among global markets for attracting significant interest from tourists.
Spain has already positioned itself as the first country in the world to receive more visitors, ahead of France. In figures, it received 85.1 million tourists in 2023, according to the INE, while the Gauls received between 78 and 81 million, according to the French Ministry of Tourism. For this reason, real estate capital dedicated to hospitality has set its sights on the Spanish ecosystem. Due to the operations registered and those in the pipeline, the Spanish State is emerging as the first in Europe in hotel investment in 2024, behind consolidated destinations such as the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Greece, as pointed out by various consultants specialising in real estate.
In the same way, the great emphasis placed on Spain within the hospitality sector has led to it being positioned as the leading asset in the territory during the first half of 2024, with more than 1,700 million in investment, according to figures provided by Cushman & Wakefield, among which transactions in the luxury segment stand out. In this regard, luxury and ultra-luxury hotels are the properties with the highest level of dynamism, since several firms in Europe are focusing on the design of new sophisticated experiences, which have a stable market share. The consultancy firm Savills also emphasises that the EU luxury hotel stock, between 2023 and 2028, will increase by 49 percent in terms of the number of rooms and the average annual growth during those five years will be 6.7 percent due to high demand.
Against this backdrop, The District, the summit designed by and for real estate capital, to be held from 25 to 27 September in Barcelona, will be the meeting point where the options for investing in hotels and accommodation will be put on the table, exploring, among other issues, how the return of the Asian traveller is affecting the state of business travel and all the spin-offs that have arisen and which are possibilities for capital as a result of changes in habits. Experts such as Bruno Hallé, co-managing partner of Cushman & Wakefield’s hotel division in Spain; Jon Asumendi, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions at Starwood Capital Group; Simon Allison, Chairman and CEO of the world’s leading hotel property investor association, Hoftel; Gael Le Lay, CEO and co-founder of Petra-Hova Hospitality, specialising in the acquisition and management of hotel assets across Europe; and Victor Martí Gilabert, Founder of GMA, Atom Hoteles Socimi and Victoria Hotels and Resorts, will gather industry sentiment and advance the hospitality path to 2025.
