UBM Development, a leading hotel developer in Europe, is increasing its development activities in the Polish hotel sector. The Group’s previous development projects in this country, among others the flagship Warsaw Intercontinental Hotel and the Radisson Blu in Krakow, demonstrate UBM’s competence and expertise in the hotel real estate market. Recently completed transactions, including the sale of the Holiday Inn Hotels in Warsaw and Gdansk, have underscored the strong development prospects for UBM on the hotel market in Poland.
UBM plans to continue the development of new hotel projects in the largest Polish cities over the coming years. To date, over 50 hotels in Europe have been developed by UBM. The company’s unique business model involves the construction of the property, the signing of a management or franchise agreement with an international hotel chain and subsequent exit from the investment based on a sale and leaseback structure. UBM Hotels then steps in as the hotel operator based on a long-term lease. “This unique model allows us to open new hotels under international hotel brands which decide not to take on the risks associated with a lease. Based on our experience and know-how in hotel operations, we can handle the risk of a long-term lease after the transactions are closed and can then cooperate with the hotel chains to provide management at the highest level”, added Rudolf Grossmayer, Director UBM Hotels.
UBM Hotels is joined by Marta Abratowska-Janiec
In June 2018 the team was joined by Marta Abratowska-Janiec, who was previously responsible for the hotel investment department at CBRE Poland. Marta holds the position of Manager for Asset Management and Development Hotels Poland. Her responsibilities include the active asset management of the UBM Hotels portfolio and the development of new hotel projects: “I am pleased to join this experienced UBM team to support business development in the hotel sector. I believe our unique market know-how will result in a number of successful hotel projects across the country.”
Marta holds Cornell University certification in Hotel Real Estate Investment and Asset Management. She is a graduate of the Inter-Faculty Tourism Studies at Warsaw University of Life Sciences and also completed scholarship programs at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich and the University of Karl Marx in Trier. In addition, she has received numerous certificates from ESSEC Business School and the PRINCE2 Foundation.
Her previous positions included work with major developers and investment funds, which covered advising on hotel sales transactions, negotiations of management and lease agreements with global hotel chains. Before CBRE she had also worked for the hotel consulting company Horwath HTL.