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UBM strengthens hotel business with
construction of 4-star hotel in Gdańsk
Press pack for the press conference in Gdańsk on 2 June 2016 with UBM COO Martin Löcker, UBM Polska Managing Director Sebastian Vetter, Immobel Belgium CEO Alexander Hodac, Immobel Poland Managing Director Bartłomiej Hoffman, Multibud Owner Wojciech Ciurzynski, Bożenna Wawrzyniak-Mańko from architects RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky and Mayor Paweł Adamowicz and Deputy Mayor Wiesław Bielawski from the City of Gdańsk.
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UBM Development AG, Austria’s leading property developer, will build a new 4-star hotel by the end of 2018 on a plot in Gdańsk developed by a consortium of Immobel and Multibud in the form of a Public-Private Partnership model. The planning has already been completed and construction is set to start in autumn 2016. The Polish harbour city is a prosperous economic metropolis and a flourishing region for tourism. In 2015 the number of arrivals rose by 13.1 percent to 814,000 while overnights held steady. The business travellers during the week and tourists at the weekend thereby promise above-average occupancy rates. The operator of the hotel has not yet been determined; talks are underway between InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), one of the world’s leading hotel groups, and the Holiday Inn® brand.
The plot is situated on the Wyspa Spichrzów island in the centre of the former hanseatic city and is part of a visionary urban development revitalisation project. By 2023 a consortium of the Polish Multibud and Immobel Poland intends to create a whole new quarter on an area of 1.7 hectares under a concept developed by Düsseldorf architects RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky; the quarter will consist of residential buildings, retail space and the 4-star hotel. In the course of the Public-Private Partnership with the City of Gdańsk, the shopping area that was completely destroyed in WWII along with its brick houses and offices should be transformed into a lively quarter, appealing as much to tourists as to residents. The first buildings in the new urban development will be the new hotel as well as a residential and commercial building. The project also includes a central square that will be home to cafes, restaurants, galleries and clubs. The investment costs are estimated at EUR 100 million. In addition, Multibud and Immobel Poland are investing more than EUR 10 million in public infrastructure such as roads, harbour facilities and bridges. The costs of the UBM hotel and the office will be around EUR 32 million.
RKW’s design builds on the artistic forms of the earlier warehouse city. For example, the new buildings should have sharp edges, as if cut from a block. In this way, the form, proportions, materials and colours of the hotel are also based on the historic buildings. The main idea is to harmonise and accentuate the contrast between the historic hanseatic city and the new warehouse city in such a way that each of them enhances the impact of the other.
UBM will build the hotel on a 5,500 m² plot. In accordance with the master plan, the facade draws on the historic legacy of the island. One special feature involves the remains of the historic building being integrated as elements in the new construction. UBM Polska is responsible for the detailed planning and the construction. The property development will consist of two seven-storey buildings with 13,700 m² floor space and 236 rooms. The first floor will house conference facilities and a ballroom, while 48 parking spaces will be available on two underground storeys. The ground floor will employ an innovative open-lobby concept whereby a traditional lobby format with a combination of reception, restaurant, bar, lounge and business centre comes together to form an open, harmonious whole. The room arrangement strives to give a sense of being in one’s own home. The integrated space allows guests the greatest flexibility, whether it comes to eating, relaxing, working or pursuing leisure activities.
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With the 4-star building, UBM is also erecting the city’s most sustainable hotel. The project is setting new standards for Gdańsk in terms of energy efficiency, heat recovery, ecological construction materials and farsightedness. “In line with our high standards, the property should be certified in ‘Gold’ to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design programme (LEED)”, explains UBM COO Martin Löcker. The Chief Operating Officer is convinced of the development’s success: “The location is exceptional. We are confident that the fantastic location and the open-lobby concept will make this hotel in Gdańsk the first choice for business travellers and holidaymakers”.
New company UBMhotels is expanding in the highly profitable hotel sector Long neglected by the market, the asset class Hotel is going from strength to strength. In 2015 transaction volumes on the global hotel market grew by almost half to USD 85 billion. Around USD 29 billion of this total was from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. UBM hotels Management GmbH – “UBMhotels” for short – was founded on 18 May 2016 in order to focus even more effectively on this asset class in the future. “The new company will not only bundle the competencies for developing hotels, but also for operating them”, said COO Martin Löcker, “We are delighted to have an absolute pro from the hotel industry on board, Managing Director Rolf Hübner”.
Having developed 43 hotels with almost 9,000 rooms in the past 20 years, UBM is already one of Europe’s top hotel developers. Including Gdańsk, the project pipeline consists of 13 hotels, in Amsterdam, Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg (2), Mainz, Munich (2), Stuttgart, Warsaw and Vienna (2), with cumulative investment volumes of around EUR 430 million. Furthermore, UBM owns, co-owns or operates 17 hotels with around 3,800 rooms.
UBMhotels represents the next major expansion step in the company’s 143-year history. The growth focus here is clearly on the 3 to 5-star sector in the core markets of Germany and Poland, although the Benelux countries and selected cities in other CEE states are also being examined in detail.
UBMhotels complements the existing tried-and-tested value chain (idea, realisation, sale) of UBM Development AG, insofar as its focus is on concluding long-term leasing and management agreements after the successful sale of a property (lease-back), thereby taking on a so-called “sandwich position” between the investor and the operator. In addition, UBMhotels will also take on existing third-party buildings under this model. The focus here will be on development, hotel asset management, and cooperating with international hotel brands.
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UBM Development AG (www.ubm.at) is Austria’s leading property developer. The
company has a broad base and covers the entire value chain from zoning and planning permission to planning, marketing and construction, right through to sales. The focus is on the markets of Austria, Germany and Poland and the asset classes Residential, Hotel and Office. Property development in the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and France contributes to diversification. UBM has been listed on the Vienna Stock Exchange since it was founded in 1873. Almost no other company has such a rich history, especially in the real estate sector. The key success factors are attention to detail and sustainability, along with architectural quality and excellent construction.
The Group has been represented in Poland since 1993 through UBM Polska Sp. z o.o. (www.ubm.pl). Alongside Warsaw, UBM has opened offices in Krakow (2002) and Wroclaw (2009). 60 employees currently work for the Polish subsidiary.
Immobel (www.immobel.be), listed on Euronext Brussels since 19th September 1863,
has been a major player in property development in Belgium for more than 150 years. It is also active in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and in Poland. Its business covers the office, residential and landbanking sectors, ensuring the diversification of its portfolio of projects. Its vision of the market and its expertise enable it to design, develop and manage ambitious real estate projects that create long-term value while respecting the environment and integrating the major issues facing society.
The MULTIBUD company has been known in the investment and construction services
industry for several years. It operates a market in the form of a registered partnership (Polish: spółka jawna) and / or business activities conducted by Wojciech Ciurzyński and the Ciurzyński family members. A very active developer Wojciech Ciurzyński has been involved financially in the development of projects implemented in Warsaw for many years. He has developed with his partners in the capital quarters as Włochy, Ochota, Mokotów and Żoliborz. The total value of mentioned projects exceeds 50 m PLN.
The MULTIBUD W. Ciurzyński company was registered in 2011 with the intention of a
large-scale action by creating an investment vehicle with a portfolio of significant development projects acquired to be implemented in sufficiently strong partnerships configurations in interesting locations in Poland.
RKW Rhode Kellermann Wawrowsky Architektur + Städtebau (www.rkw-as.de) is
considered one of Germany's most successful architectural offices. It currently employs around 300 staff – architects, interior designers, engineers and administrative staff – at its headquarters in Düsseldorf and branch offices in Leipzig, Munich, Warsaw and Moscow. Founded in Düsseldorf in 1950 by Helmut Rhode, today the architectural office is managed by eight partners and has extensive national and international experience in every area of building construction, interior design and urban planning. It offers private and public developers a comprehensive service range covering every phase including general planning and developing usage concepts. By bundling diverse specialist skills, integral project planning and comprehensive knowhow in construction management, RKW is able to take on projects of almost any size efficiently and reliably.
RKW has earned an outstanding reputation for its forward-looking, distinctive, functional and efficient architectural solutions in the fields of office and tower construction, retail properties (department stores, shopping centres), urban development, sports and entertainment arenas, educational facilities, redevelopment, public-sector construction and interior design.
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Further inquiry: UBM Development AG Mag. Milena Ioveva
Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications Email: milena.ioveva@ubm.at
Tel: +43 50 626 1763 UBM Polska
UBM Polska
Sebastian Vetter Managing Director Telephone 0048/601-281-243 Email sebastian.vetter@ubm.pl.
