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In the ever-evolving hotel industry, there is one category that really stands out – hotels, explains Will Odwarka, Founder and CEO of Dubai-based Heartatwork Hospitality Consulting. The hotel landscape is changing on a global scale as hotels seek to attract and cater to a more diverse and international clientele with their F&B and retail offerings. It is a fact: Hotels, gastronomy, and retail go together.

CBRE Romania has announced its exclusive involvement in the leasing strategy of H Știrbei Palace, an emblematic historical monument located in the heart of Bucharest and one of the most anticipated retail projects in the capital. After the completion of the renovation works, Știrbei Palace aims to become a landmark shopping gallery for luxury brands in South-Eastern Europe.

At this year’s 20th edition of ECE Marketplaces’ international Retail Meeting, around 800 top decision-makers and experts from the retail, hospitality, placemaking and entertainment sectors met today in Hamburg’s Fischauktionshalle to discuss current topics as well as the opportunities and challenges in the retail real estate sector.

Why do we visit shopping centers? Is it merely for shopping, or are we seeking entertainment, a place to meet, or perhaps all of these experiences combined? Despite the diverse reasons that draw us to shopping centers, one expectation remains consistent across all visits: the demand for quality.

Shopping malls developed recently in Turkey are typically designed for shopping, dining, entertainment, and sometimes cultural events. Since the early 2000s, the rapid increase in shopping malls has made them a significant factor in the national retail sector. Despite the country’s economic difficulties, the industry is vital.

The commercial benefits of accommodating multiple uses in one development are clear: If the offer and environment are tailored correctly, footfall – and therefore turnover and rents – can be increased. Nevertheless, there is a great reluctance to create true mixed-use developments due to the inability to truly understand the different requirements of different user groups, according to a joint report by Pragma and Benoy.

In recent years, the intertwining of retail and hospitality has emerged as a crucial factor in the attractiveness of destinations. By integrating shopping opportunities with accommodation options, innovative concepts are created that offer unique experiences for tourists and locals. Thomas Mark, President of MK Illumination, explains how recent developments have set new standards for retailtainment.

The luxury department store operator KaDeWe Group is discontinuing its e-commerce business shortly after it was fully taken over by the Thai Central Group.

“Development in the future can only be a win-win-win situation, if you can tighten the building, and make it more profitable on the space per sq m” – Making use of the available space as efficiently as possible is one of the key components of a successful retail-hotel synergy. The latest ACROSS Retail Talk, “Retail and the Hotel industry” sheds light on the relationship between Retail and Hotel, and how they might profit from each other, with the high-caliber panel concluding: Combining the retail and hotel sectors works best if the market and demand for it is clear, and if the best possible partners are sought out, especially on a local level.

Tourism and shopping belong together – this is most visible within the outlet industry. Many outlet centers are located in leading tourist zones and traditionally work together with the tourism authorities. Outlets and tourist destinations understand and present themselves as a unit. This means that the outlet industry is one step ahead of the shopping center industry, but there is still a lot of potential here, since 10% of the European outlet centers have hotels at their sites.

It is beneficial for real estate developers, investors, retailers and hoteliers alike to explore the potential for collaboration between the retail and hotel sectors, explains Lars Jähnichen, CEO of IPH Group. Some players have already shown how one can benefit from the growth of the other. “Das Gerber” in Stuttgart is an excellent example of the successful revitalization of a former single-use shopping center in the midst of ongoing operations. Today, it features 11 different types of use under one roof – including a hotel.

Shopping centers and hotels have increasingly become complementary assets that together, particularly in city-center locations, form a mutually reinforcing symbiosis. Both asset classes are characterized by a variety of offers, service qualities, and experience factors. When combined, the result is an even better mix of uses and, therefore, a win-win situation for everyone involved, explains Torsten Kuttig, Director Hotel Development at ECE Work & Live.

Retail and the hotel industry – is this a new and innovative topic? Certainly not, but it is always worth rethinking and keeping in mind, says Klaus Striebich, Managing Director of RaRE Advise and Head of the ACROSS Advisory Board. From a traditional real estate point of view, placing a hotel next to retail and vice versa has always been the norm. There has always been enough space on site or on the upper floors and demand from customers has always existed.