The origin and DNA of Meridia Capital Partners
The 2001 acquisition of Hotel Arts was the starting gun for what five years later would be known as Meridia Capital Partners.
It was in 2001 when Mr. Faus assembled an investment group for the purpose of acquiring HOVISA: a real estate portfolio of 110,000 sqm that included Hotel Arts in Barcelona (with 485 rooms and operated by The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company), 12,374 sqm of office space, 13,084 sqm of retail area, 600 parking spaces and a building site measuring 3,611 sqm.
The origin and DNA of Meridia Capital Partners
The purchase was finalised in December 2001 for €235m. Mr. Faus was appointed General Partner and Manager of the company. The office and retail components of the portfolio achieved full occupancy in the first year of operation.
In 2004, two groups decided to exit their investment due to the excellent profits obtained thus far. They were replaced as capital partners by a series of Spanish HNWIs, sowing the seeds for what would in the future become Meridia Capital Partners.
The entire Hotel Arts was redesigned for two years and soon became the leading hotel in Barcelona. At this point the sale to GIC Real Estate (Government of Singapore), Host Hotels & Resorts and Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP was finalised for €417m – at the time,the highest price ever paid by a single real estate asset in Spain.
Hotels Arts was designed by architect Bruce Graham and built for the 1992 Olympic Games. It is considered a point of reference along Barcelona's coastline.
