Hotel & Hospitality

Many existing office, administrative, school, commercial or industrial buildings are in principle suitable for conversion into a hotel or another type of accommodation. What matters is the applicable planning law, the building structure and the building-code requirements. We review the urban-planning and building-law framework as well as the use potential of your property at an early stage.

As a rule, a building permit for the change of use is required. It is based on a use concept and corresponding permit drawings. Depending on the building and location, additional specialist planning and evidence may be needed, for example on fire safety, acoustics, structure and building services. We coordinate the required planning partners and guide the procedure through to approval.

Costs depend largely on the existing building fabric and the desired standard of finish. In suitable existing buildings, simple accommodation concepts can be feasible from approx. €1,300–1,500/m² net. For modern hotel and serviced-apartment concepts, roughly €1,700–2,200/m² net should be assumed. Extensive work on structure, fire safety, building envelope or services can increase costs significantly. These figures are a first orientation for construction only, excluding FF&E and ancillary building costs. We are happy to prepare an initial individual cost estimate for your property.

FF&E – furniture, fixtures & equipment – covers the hotel's furnishing and fit-out, for example beds, furniture, lighting and curtains. As a first orientation, budget concepts can be estimated at around €5,000–6,500 net per room, modern midscale concepts at around €9,000–12,500 net per room. Higher-end hotel concepts lie correspondingly above that.

Whether a hotel use makes economic sense depends on more than construction costs. Key factors are the achievable number of rooms, investment costs, location, operator concept, achievable room rates and expected occupancy. In an early feasibility study we therefore examine not only whether and how a building can be converted, but also compare area and room potential against the expected investment. On this basis, an initial viability assessment can be prepared together with an operator or hotel consultant. This makes it possible to judge early on which use concept is economically sensible for a property.