Buying an office building, a residential block or a commercial unit and converting it into a hotel is one of the operations with the most potential on the Costa del Sol today. But success does not depend on the property alone: it depends on planning feasibility and the change of use. This is what needs checking before you sign.
First of all: does the building allow hotel use?
Before anything else, you need to verify whether the planning framework (the PGOU or by-law) permits hotel use on that plot and in that building. Not all land and not all properties allow it, and a change of use may require accessibility, evacuation, parking or facility conditions that the current building does not meet. Checking this is step zero of any operation.
Technical due diligence before buying
A technical due diligence tells you what can really be done with the building: structural condition, services, regulatory compliance, buildable-area limits and the approximate cost of adapting it. It is the tool that stops you buying a problem. Many operations that look like a bargain stop being one once the real cost of refurbishment and regulatory adaptation is added.
From change of use to design
Once feasibility is confirmed, the change-of-use project organises the hotel programme (number of keys, communal areas, services) within what the building and the regulations allow. A large part of the profitability is decided here: how many rooms fit with quality, how access and evacuation are resolved and what investment each scenario requires.
How we approach it at Klic Arquitectos
We support the investor from before the purchase: feasibility study and technical due diligence, and then design and construction supervision with fixed fees. The aim is for you to take the purchase decision with the numbers and the risks on the table, not afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
What is a change of use to hotel?
It is the authorisation to allocate a building with another use (offices, residential, commercial) to hotel use. It requires the planning framework to allow it and the building to meet the technical and regulatory conditions of the new use.
Can I convert any building into a hotel?
No. It depends on hotel use being permitted on that plot and on the property being adaptable to accessibility, evacuation and other requirements. A technical due diligence clarifies this before buying.
When should the due diligence be done?
Before signing the purchase. That is when the technical information has the most value, because it can change the price or advise against the operation.
Considering converting a building into a hotel?
At Klic Arquitectos we analyse feasibility and design changes of use to hotel on the Costa del Sol. Tell us about it in a first, no-obligation call.
