Union Investment boosts hotel investment team

To support the ongoing expansion of its hotel portfolio, Union Investment Real Estate GmbH has added to its team of specialists. Christoph Eichbaum (37) joined the now eight-strong Investment Management Hospitality team headed by Andreas Löcher on 1 August. He will be responsible for hotel transactions in the DACH region, a key focus of the Union Investment portfolio with a current total of 46 hotels worth EUR 3.8 billion. A real estate economist (IRE|BS) and business studies graduate, Christoph Eichbaum previously spent eight years at Ernst & Young Real Estate GmbH, most recently as a director. In this role, he primarily advised investors and operators on national and international hotel transactions at both single asset and portfolio level. His core duties also included selecting operators and conducting feasibility studies on all types of hotel projects.

“The members of our Investment Management Hospitality team combine professional hotel sector expertise with a deep understanding of the real estate markets. With his knowledge gained from advising clients in this area, Christoph Eichbaum is an excellent addition to our team. We are looking forward to working with him to expand our portfolio in the DACH region,” said Andreas Löcher, head of Investment Management Hospitality at Union Investment Real Estate GmbH.

Union Investment is one of Europe’s leading hotel investors. Its broadly diversified hotel portfolio in Europe and the US currently comprises 70 properties with a total value of around EUR 5.6 billion. Among the most recent transactions in the DACH region are the acquisition of a portfolio developed by benchmark. REAL Estate which includes hotels in Dresden, Oberhausen, Eschborn and Freiburg, and the acquisition of a double hotel development by UBM, comprising a Holiday Inn and a Super 8 hotel, at Berliner Tor in Hamburg.