A landmark transaction in the Catalan hotel market
Turkish hospitality group Kaya Hotels & Resorts has acquired the ME Barcelona from Spanish developer Actual Capital, in a deal reportedly worth more than €100 million, equivalent to approximately €610,000 per room. The asset had previously belonged to Fernando Pérez-Sala Valls-Taberner and Actual Capital, which had led the property’s development.
The deal marks Kaya Hotels & Resorts‘s entry into the Barcelona hotel market and represents its second investment in Europe, following the acquisition of the Kaya Great Northern Hotel in London in 2024.
A strategic asset in the heart of Barcelona
ME Barcelona features two restaurants, a rooftop pool, a spa, a gym, an urban garden, a rooftop bar and more than 600 sqm of flexible event and meeting space. This positioning makes it one of the city centre’s most recognised lifestyle assets.
Meliá retains operational control
The change of ownership does not affect the hotel’s management. Meliá Hotels International will continue to operate the ME Barcelona under its ME by Meliá lifestyle brand, as it has done since the hotel opened in 2021.
This operational continuity, common in European hotel real estate transactions, allows Kaya Hotels & Resorts to secure stable rental income while preparing the asset’s medium-term transformation.
Towards a new chapter under the Kaya Palazzo brand
Kaya Hotels & Resorts plans to rename the property Kaya Palazzo Barcelona from 1 January 2028, when the current operating lease is due to expire. The repositioning aims to bring the Catalan asset into the group’s flagship brand, already present in Turkey and Northern Cyprus.
London, then Barcelona: Kaya’s growing European footprint
Kaya Hotels & Resorts, which operates 13 properties in Turkey and Northern Cyprus under its Kaya Palazzo Hotels & Resorts and Kaya Hotels & Resorts brands, presents this acquisition as the continuation of its European growth strategy, which began with its entry into the London market.
The group acquired the Great Northern Hotel in King’s Cross in 2024, renamed Kaya Great Northern Hotel in 2025. The property continues to be operated by a Kaya subsidiary under a long-term occupational lease.
Barcelona at the centre of a wave of European hotel investment
This acquisition comes amid strong transactional activity in the Barcelona hotel market, driven by the return of tourism flows and the market’s ongoing upscaling. According to CBRE, hotel investment on the Iberian Peninsula reached €2.6 billion in the first half of 2026, up 27% year-on-year and the highest level ever recorded for that period.
The transaction also echoes a series of deals completed the same week across Europe: the acquisition of the Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht by First Sponsor Group for approximately €93.5 million, the purchase of three Strasbourg hotels by LFPI Hôtels Gestion, and the acquisition of The Dilly in London by Israeli group Fattal Hotel Group. The lifestyle and luxury segment, exemplified by the ME by Meliá network already established in Marbella, continues to attract international capital seeking assets positioned in major urban and coastal destinations.
👀 At a Glance
ME Barcelona changes hands as Kaya Hotels & Resorts enters Spain
Buyer: Kaya Hotels & Resorts (Turkey), from seller Actual Capital (Spain)
Deal value: over €100 million (~€610,000 per room)
Asset: 164-room ME Barcelona, opened 2021, Passeig de Gràcia / Carrer de Casp
Operator: Meliá Hotels International retains management under ME by Meliá
Rebrand: planned as Kaya Palazzo Barcelona from 1 January 2028
Context: Kaya’s second European investment, following its 2024 entry in London
