PRESS RELEASE
Ennismore Set to Open SLS Barcelona, First SLS Hotel in Europe in Partnership with ActivumSG
12th April 2022
- Ennismore and ActivumSG’s Fund V sign a long-term management agreement to operate the new SLS seafront property currently under construction in Barcelona’s fashionable 22@ district
- The 490-room property is scheduled to open in the second half of 2024, providing SLS with its first destination in Europe
(Jersey) 11th April, 2022 – Ennismore and ActivumSG Capital Management have signed a long-term management agreement that will bring Ennismore’s lifestyle brand SLS to Europe for the first time, opening a 490-room hotel on the seafront of Barcelona in the second half of 2024.
The 31,326 sqm development is next to the beach and fronts the marina on the northeast side of Barcelona’s 22@ district – the former industrial area revitalized under a major regeneration program. It is the last seafront plot in metropolitan Barcelona available for hotel development, with the main structural work scheduled to be completed in the coming months.
Chadi Farhat, SLS Brand Chief Operating Officer, Ennismore, said: “Opening in Barcelona is a massive statement of our ambitions to grow the SLS brand in Europe. SLS Barcelona is in a great location that offers so much to guests. We’re excited at creating the ultimate luxury destination that guests will be torn to leave if they choose to explore the other delights of this great city.”
Saul Goldstein, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ActivumSG, said: “SLS Barcelona will be a distinctive glamorous lifestyle destination, supported by the powerful reach of the Ennismore and Accor’s distribution network. We couldn’t be happier to have SLS as our operating partner since it’s completely aligned with our vision to fill the gap in the lifestyle hotel market in this major European travel destination. It’s a fantastic result for our hotel strategy of creating great hotels in the best locations as the industry recovers from the pandemic.”
Operated by a modern, lifestyle brand with a playful edge, SLS Barcelona will provide roof-top dining and bars as part of a distinctive food and beverage offer. The hotel will feature three swimming pools, a 772 square-meter ballroom, a spa and beauty salon, and a well-being and fitness center. Each guest room will have a balcony.
The location boasts easy access to the historic center of Barcelona by car or public transport. Under the regeneration program initiated in the 1990s, the @22 district has transformed itself into a hub for innovation, technology and start-ups. It has also become a fashionable place to live, resulting in a vibrant mix of shops, restaurants, and bars. Adjacent to the future SLS Barcelona, is the city’s major venue for outdoor music festivals and events, while the university’s engineering faculty, the CCIB convention center and the Museu Blau natural science museum are all a short walking distance away.
SLS is the home of an extraordinary experience coupled with a playful ambience. Culinary artistry, theatrical interiors, subversive design touches and unexpected indulgences are at the heart of every SLS property. Collaborations with leading developers, architects, designers and chefs allow SLS to continue anticipating, innovating and shaping the future of luxury lifestyle living. With seven properties in Beverly Hills, Miami, Bahamas, Cancun, and Dubai, SLS is set to open two additional properties in Puerto Madero, Argentina, by May of 2022 and Scottsdale by 2023.
Lifestyle is one of the fastest-growing segments of the hospitality industry and lifestyle brands are recovering faster from the impacts of the pandemic, helped by strong local and domestic demand, in particular for restaurants and bars. Ennismore is leading the way in lifestyle, with its collective of 14 brands representing 92 operating properties across 26 countries, over 150 in the pipeline and over 150 restaurants and bars.
The project is an investment by ActivumSG’s fifth real estate fund as part of a pan-European hotel strategy that ActivumSG began in Spain in 2015, initially targeting under-supplied segments of the market in major travel destinations. This strategy has evolved during the Covid-19 pandemic to focus on those segments of Europe’s hospitality market that is best placed to recover as leisure and business travel recovers.
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ABOUT ENNISMORE
Ennismore is a creative hospitality company with a global collective of entrepreneurial and founder-built brands with purpose at their heart. It curates and manages unique properties and experiences in some of the most exciting destinations around the world.
Founded in 2011 by entrepreneur Sharan Pasricha, Ennismore and Accor entered a joint venture in 2021 to create a new autonomous entity, with Accor holding a majority shareholding. Creating the world’s fastest-growing lifestyle hospitality company, it brings together Ennismore’s know-how in building brands with creative storytelling, design, and authentic experiences, with Accor’s wealth of knowledge in delivering scale, network growth and distribution.
Under the leadership of Sharan Pasricha, Founder & Co-CEO, and Gaurav Bhushan, Co-CEO, Ennismore comprises 14 brands – with 90 operating properties and further 160 in the pipeline – and a collection of over 150 culturally relevant and diverse restaurants and nightlife destinations.
Ennismore puts innovation at the center of everything it does, with four dedicated in-house specialist studios, which obsess every guest touchpoint including Carte Blanched – a fully integrated F&B concept platform; a creative studio of interior and graphic designers; a digital product and tech innovation lab, and a partnerships and collaborations unit.
Ennismore has been included in Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies lists in 2020 and 2021; ranked#29 in FT1000: Europe’s Fastest-Growing Companies; and is part of FT Future 100 – the UK’s fastestgrowing businesses that are shaping the future of their sector.
The Ennismore brands: 21c Museum Hotel, 25hours Hotels, Delano, Gleneagles, Hyde, J0&JOE, Mama Shelter,
Mondrian, Morgans Originals, SLS, SO/, The Hoxton, TRIBE and Working From_. ennismore.com
ABOUT ACTIVUMSG
ActivumSG Capital Management Ltd. is a Jersey-based private equity investment manager which focuses on opportunities in European real estate that deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns for investors. It has raised seven closed-end funds and several co-investment vehicles to date. For the past 15 years its multi-disciplinary teams have looked across the capital structure to identify the optimal entry point to access compelling real estate themes before they become in vogue. Operating from five offices across Europe, ActivumSG’s experienced local teams source opportunities across a wide range of sectors, unlocking real and lasting value through in-house asset management which they crystallize for investors through the most suitable exit. ActivumSG is regulated by the Jersey Financial Services Commission. For more information, visit the website at activumsg.com
Media contacts for ActivumSG:
Montfort Communications
Tom Roberts
Aaron Bass
Tel: +44 (0)20 3514 0897
Email: activumsg@montfort.london
Media contacts for Ennismore: Marcos Eleftheriou, VP of Culture & Comms marcos.eleftheriou@ennismore.com