Commercial property investors are increasingly looking at the hotels market, both in major cities and in mountain and seaside resorts. In Romania, the volume of investments in hotels totaled 69.3 million euros in 2024, up 56% compared to 2023, according to monitoring by Fortim Trusted Advisors, a member of the BNP Paribas Real Estate Alliance. At the European level, the hotel industry attracted €20.5 billion, up 70% compared to 2023, and is considered the best asset class by annual evolution, according to the latest investment report by BNP Paribas Real Estate.
“Romania is part of the European trend of diversifying investments into commercial asset classes, with the hotel real estate sector being a big winner. In 2024, the largest transaction in the last three years took place, when the Austrians bought the Ambassador Hotel in Bucharest from Julius Meinl. In the last three years, investors in Romania have bought 19 hotels with a total value of 179.95 million euros, of which ten hotels are located in mountain and seaside resorts with a total value of 71 million euros, which represents 39% of the total value of investments in the accommodation sector,” said Stefan Oana, Head of Capital Markets at Fortim Trusted Advisors, a member of the BNP Paribas Real Estate Alliance.
The Orizont Hotel in Predeal was the subject of the largest real estate transaction in the holiday hotel sector in 2024. The price paid by N.S. & Sons Global Investments was 10.5 million euros. The hotel has 139 rooms, an indoor swimming pool, Spa & Wellness and a conference center.
At the seaside, the Pam Beach Hotel, formerly Muntenia, in Olimp was sold for just under 10 million euros, being the largest transaction on the seaside. The hotel has 210 rooms and a swimming pool and will operate in the Steaua de Mare network, on an All-Inclusive basis.
Hotels in cities attracted investments of 108.95 million euros
In the last three years, Romanian and foreign investors have bought 14 hotels in cities, in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Oradea, Targu-Mures, Brasov and Constanta. The interest in such properties has increased with the development of business and city break tourism.
“The regional centers with business and cultural tourism are performing very well and we estimate that this market segment will develop the most in the coming years. Cities such as Cluj-Napoca and Iasi offer opportunities in this regard, localities where we can offer concrete projects for those interested“, said Stefan Oana, Head of Capital Markets at Fortim Trusted Advisors, member of the BNP Paribas Real Estate Alliance.
