Italian institutional investor acquires 203-key hotel in prime London location in first UK hospitality deal
08 June 2026
News release
08 June 2026
JLL advises Ares and EQ on sale of Novotel London Tower Bridge to Generali Real Estate
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Nicole sansom
JLL and Eastdil Secured have advised Ares Real Estate funds (“Ares”) and EQ Group on the successful sale of the Novotel London Tower Bridge to Generali Real Estate, marking the Italian institutional investor's debut hotel acquisition in the United Kingdom.
The 203-key hotel, strategically positioned near Tower Bridge and the Tower of London, some of the capital’s most iconic landmarks, represents a significant transaction in the UK hospitality sector and underscores continued institutional appetite for prime London hotel assets.
The sale to Generali Real Estate reflects strong confidence in London's hospitality market fundamentals and demonstrates the enduring appeal of well-located, branded hotel assets to institutional capital. This transaction contributes to London's robust hotel investment volumes, which reached £834M in Q1 2026. The city continues to attract a significant share of all UK and European hotel investment, underscoring its status as a top-tier global destination.
Christopher Exler, Executive Vice President EMEA Hotel Capital Markets, commented: "This is a significant confidence vote for all sides and we’re thrilled to have brought in Generali Real Estate who will continue to carve a new path for this great City of London hotel.”
Will Duffey, Head of EMEA Hotel Capital Markets adds: “We are delighted to have supported on this anchor London asset from the wider portfolio that Ares and EQ had acquired from Land Securities. We look forward to continuing to support Ares and EQ as they see through their business plan in a timely manner.”
About JLL
JLL (NYSE:JLL) is a leading global commercial real estate services and investment management company with annual revenue of $26.1 billion, operations in over 80 countries and a global workforce of more than 113,000 as of March 31, 2026. For over 200 years, clients have trusted JLL, a Fortune 500® company, to help them confidently buy, build, occupy, manage and invest across a variety of industries and property types, including office, industrial, hotel, multi-family, retail and data center properties. Driven by our purpose to shape the future of real estate for a better world, we help our clients, people and communities SEE A BRIGHTER WAY. Powered by rich global datasets and leading technology capabilities, we provide coordinated, end-to-end delivery of real estate services for a broad range of global clients who represent a wide variety of industries. Through LaSalle Investment Management, we invest for clients on a global basis in both private assets and publicly traded real estate securities. For further information, visit jll.com.