Survey by bulwiengesa, one of the major independent consulting companies in continental Europe, of the seven largest cities in Germany / Useable space of GBI AG’s hotel developments rises from 137,000 to 147,000 square metres / Top positions also in the city rankings
GBI AG is again by far Germany’s largest project developer for hotels in 2019. The usable space of the hotels delivered by the Group even increased from 137,000 to 147,000 square metres compared to the previous year’s figures. This is emerging from the thirteenth survey on the top 7 cities in Germany, conducted by bulwiengesa, one of the major independent consulting companies in continental Europe. Included in the ranking were real estate projects in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and Stuttgart. The evaluation covers hotels that opened between 2016 and 2018, are currently under construction or will be completed by 2023 at the latest. “The fact that we are now at the top of the Hotel Developer Ranking for the third time in a row confirms the sustainability of our success”, says Reiner Nittka, CEO of GBI AG, adding: “And our project pipeline is also filled with attractive locations for the next few years”. Since GBI was active last year especially in the B and C cities not covered by the survey, the achieved actual floor space is even significantly larger.
Successful cooperation with multiple international brands
GBI AG can claim this success because the company works closely with established hotel chains such as Marriott, Hilton, nH or Novum. Especially in the case of new brands such as Moxy, Hampton by Hilton or niu, these groups often opt for GBI AG. In addition, numerous internationally successful brands that are pushing into Germany are happy to launch their projects jointly with GBI AG, like Premier Inn. Great Britain’s largest Budget hotel operator is currently expanding very strongly in Germany and intends to implement major parts of its development pipeline with GBI AG. The cooperation also includes such heavy-weight brands like Citadines, Adina and Capri by Fraser. GBI has developed long-stay properties for them since 2007. Capri by Fraser from Singapore for example was previously focused on Asia. “Thanks to this diversity of collaborations, we can always identify and address the brands that best match the location of the sites to be developed, also possibly combining various brands,” explains Jan Winterhoff, Director of Hotel Development at GBI AG: “This is why the operators and investors to whom we sell the majority of our projects also like returning to us and continue cooperation.”
GBI AG is not only well advanced in the market with project developments for international clients, but also with its own SMARTments business brand. These serviced apartments are used by professional or private travellers who stay in a city for several weeks or months. With its own brand, GBI has already become number four among the serviced apartment brand hotels in Germany. Six buildings are already in operation in Germany and Austria, additional four are in the construction or in the approval phases.
Three new international hotel brands for Düsseldorf
GBI AG is also at the forefront of the city-specific hotel developer rankings in the top 7 locations. For example, GBI is the largest project developer in Düsseldorf. Construction work for three hotels with a total of 717 rooms has already commenced in a prime location right next to the main railway station. These embrace the apartment hotel Adina, the Hampton by Hilton as a Focused Service facility and the premium economy hotel Premier Inn. GBI AG takes second place in the city rankings in Frankfurt and Hamburg. In both cities, mixed-use project developments are also an important element of this success. Under this scheme, different hotels that do not compete with each other but rather profit mutually are specifically combined at one location. “In this way, we enable the optimum use of large inner-city sites and bring life and international flair to central locations,” remarks Clemens Jung, Board Member of GBI AG. In Hamburg’s Hammerbrook district, where GBI AG plans and implements hotels together with its associated company NORD PROJECT, there is, for example, the beneficial coexistence of a Premier Inn and a niu Yen in Nordkanalstrasse. A total of 634 rooms will be built there. In Frankfurt’s Europaviertel, a Capri by Fraser, a Premier Inn and a Hampton by Hilton as well as a Citadines and a Motel One on the other side of the street were combined – a total of 1087 units.
GBI AG is also consolidating its position in the coveted Munich hospitality market. Following the opening of SMARTments business in Parkstadt Schwabing, a Holiday Inn near the airport in Hallbergmoos is now under construction. “We have also put into operation the Moxy at Stuttgart Airport. In Cologne, we have built Europe’s largest Holiday Inn Express with 323 rooms in the city’s Alt-Stadt Süd district. Thus we are represented with our projects in all Top 7 Cities at outstanding locations”, underlines Board Member Clemens Jung. However, GBI AG also takes a leading position not only in the top 7 cities. Apart from projects in the A-cities examined by bulwiengesa, GBI also successfully develops hotels in promising B-cities such as Heidelberg, Leipzig, Wiesbaden, Essen, Bielefeld, Lübeck and Mannheim. Clemens Jung: “Our success rests on a broad foundation.”
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