German team advises on lease of Levantehaus as first Conrad luxury hotel in Germany

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has advised the owner of Hamburg's Levantehaus, GBR Levantehaus, on the conclusion of a long-term lease for the luxury hotel located in the Levantehaus. The new tenant of the hotel, which was previously operated as Park Hyatt Hamburg, is MHP (Munich Hotel Partners) Hotel AG.

Under the Hilton luxury brand Conrad Hotels & Resorts, the hotel will be repositioned in Hamburg's prime city centre location on Mönckebergstraße. This is the first hotel under this brand in Germany.

It is planned to reopen as the new Conrad Hamburg, which, in addition to 283 rooms and suites, is expected to open in 2024 after extensive modernisation. As part of the change of operator and brand, GBR Levantehaus Hamburg will invest several million euros into the modernisation of the property until its reopening.

Built in 1912 as a Kontorhaus, Levantehaus was one of the most modern office buildings in Germany at the time and has since become one of the most distinctive properties in Hamburg's city centre. The sandstone columns and an animal frieze by the sculptor Barry Baldwin, in combination with the mixture of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, create an elegant, special atmosphere. Today, the Levantehaus offers extensive shopping and gastronomic facilities in addition to the hotel.

GBR Levantehaus was comprehensively advised on the legal aspects of the contract negotiations by a real estate team from Norton Rose Fulbright’s Hamburg office, led by partner and head of Hamburg Patrick Narr (real estate, corporate), who was supported by associate Malte Meyer (real estate, corporate).

Norton Rose Fulbright is further expanding its growing advisory business in the hotel sector. In particular, the owner of the Hotel Urban Nature in Sankt Peter Ording was recently advised on the letting and conclusion of a management contract. Furthermore, the Leonardo Group was recently supported in the leasing of the Leonardo Hotel Esslingen and in the acquisition of one of its planned hotel projects. Norton Rose Fulbright advised Warburg-HIH Invest Real Estate on the sale of the Maritim Hotel in Nuremberg to the Swedish hotel investor and operator Pandox.