The starting point
In hotel leasing, a turnover rent in the region of about 20–25 % is considered the market norm. For an aparthotel in Hamburg the target was higher — a level that a classic operation, with the usual staffing costs, can hardly generate.
The idea
The key was the right operator. Instead of a conventional operation, we brought the property together with a growing hotel chain specialised in automation and digitalisation: digital check-in, automated processes, a technically lean operation. Because this operator needs significantly less staff, operating costs fall — and precisely this margin can be translated into a higher lease.
The result
A turnover rent of up to 35 % was achieved — well above the market level of 20–25 %; the rent per unit, too, was in the four-figure range. This was possible not despite the concept but because of it: a highly automated operation can give up a larger share of revenue as rent and still remain profitable.
Why it works
The level of a sustainable lease depends directly on the operator's cost structure. Whoever noticeably lowers their largest cost item — staff — through digitalisation and automation can offer the owner more. For leasing this means: it is not the property alone that determines the achievable lease, but the partner's operating model.
What transfers
For owners, it pays to look beyond the classic operator. Digitally and automatically run concepts change the maths — and can enable leases that would be unrealistic in the conventional model. What is decisive is finding the operator that fits the property.
The details are anonymised. On request we will name the specific hotel — subject to release by our clients. A separate enquiry is all it takes.