- The project, comprising 187 rooms, including 23 suites, with sustainable design and construction practices, represents Colombia’s first luxury beach and entertainment hotel.
Bogotá. December 1, 2021. With close to 15 years of operation, and after strengthening its various portfolio categories — corporate, commercial, logistics, and specialized assets — Pei, the leading real estate investment vehicle for Colombians, officially entered the hospitality segment. With an investment of more than COP 120,000 million, it acquired 60% of the Sofitel Barú Calablanca Beach Resort, a hotel that will be operated by the renowned French chain Accor, under the Sofitel brand.
This asset is located on the exclusive Isla de Barú, a few kilometers from Cartagena. The project was built by Arquitectura & Concreto on land contributed by Grupo Argos, which, together with Pei, will be the hotel’s owner-partners.
Considered the country’s first luxury beach and entertainment hotel, Calablanca has 10 accommodation towers with 187 rooms, all with ocean views; notable features include 23 suites, 8,000 square meters of beach area, 5 pools, a spa, and a convention center for more than 450 people.
“One of the greatest strengths of an investment portfolio is diversification, and that’s why we decided to participate in a hospitality-sector project that will be operated by a group like Accor, with extensive experience in the luxury hotel category. Pei Asset Management structured Pei’s stake in the asset with preferred cash-flow coverage for a period of 5 years, during which the asset is expected to reach stabilization,” said Jairo Corrales, president of Pei Asset Management.
It should also be noted that the Sofitel Barú Calablanca Beach Resort is pursuing LEED Certification, the international seal from the U.S. Green Building Council that recognizes properties built with sustainable practices and environmental design, as this project was conceived from the outset.
The hotel complex is the result of Colombian investors who have believed in achieving sustainable projects. The acquisition includes a natural setting designed to protect the ecosystem by minimizing the consumption of drinking water and energy through the use of solar panels. The project has also worked closely with the local community with the aim of strengthening the island’s economic development, including building playgrounds and spaces to promote local products.