Israeli-backed Leonardo Hotels is growing in central Europe, supported by a series of strategic partnerships and new investments.
The group has embarked on a series of acquisitions, bolstering its lifestyle and individual hotel categories. The result is a greater market presence in key cities across the region.
Backed by institutional funders
In early 2024, Leonardo secured EUR419 million of investment from the Fattal Partnership III fund. This vehicle, set up by Leonardo parent Fattal, with institutional partners from Israel, subsequently acquired 23 hotels in the Dutch, French, Spanish, Italian German, Irish and UK markets.
A major slice of this was a portfolio deal in the Netherlands, adding twelve hotels in one go. The transaction saw Leonardo buying the Zien Group from sellers KSL Capital Partners and Garden Capital Group, adding five hotels in Amsterdam plus properties in Rotterdam, The Hague, Eindhoven, Groningen, and Maastricht. At a stroke, it took Leonardo’s presence in the Benelux region to 28 hotels.
One brand that has seen expansion is NYX Hotels, the group’s lifestyle offering. The brand now has a strong pipeline, with NYX Berlin Kopenick opening in spring 2025, followed by Leipzig, and Brno. Also coming is NYX Rome, due to launch in summer 2025 with 324 rooms, bar and restaurant, outdoor pool and conference facilities.
The group also introduced a collection brand, Leonardo Limited Edition. This has allowed Leonardo to take on distinctive individual hotels that have character and history, allowing them to retain their unique features while presenting a clear message to the market. The collection now includes The Dilly in London, The Grand Brighton, and the Nikolai Hotel in Hamburg.
Also joining are the Hotel Alden Splugenschloss in Zurich, the Mannheimer Hof, the Posthouse in Berlin and the Badisher Hof in Baden-Baden. The Mannheimer Hof effectively relaunched into the collection after a major refurbishment. All of the hotel’s 192 rooms were redesigned, with a style that nods to the historic building’s origins in the 1920s. The hotel has a unique extra, in the form of a basement cabaret and variety theatre.
Also completing a makeover is the Badisher Hof in Baden-Baden, ahead of a reopening in May 2025. A historic building with a classical facade, it was the destination’s first true luxury hotel. With indoor and outdoor thermal bathing pools, it has 153 rooms and suites, and is surrounded by landscaped gardens.
Upgrading the portfolio
Elsewhere, there have also been investments in hotel refurbishments and extensions. Around 1,000 rooms were refitted during 2024, while at the Leonardo Royal in Warsaw, an extension added 184 rooms, effectively doubling the size of the property.
The group has also been buying in hotels it previously leased. In the UK, it has acquired the 310 room Leonardo hotel in Liverpool, having previously purchased the Leonardo Derby and Leonardo Newcastle Gateshead.
