Marseille (Bouches du Rhone) MAMA SHELTER

Projected delivery date: September 2011
Lease length: 20 years
Yield: 4.7% without any personal occupancy. No maintenance fees.

Price: From 136 000 EUR to 162 800 EUR including furnishings and in some cases, parking (optional).
Personal occupancy: None

Additional features: SPA and well-being centre, rooftop swimming pool and lounge bar, Michelin Star restaurant, wifi throughout, laundry service, breakfast room and reception with sitting room.

Nearest airports: Marseille

The property:
France’s second largest city and a major centre for art and history, Marseille is a vibrant melting-pot of Mediterranean cultures. Centrally located, just a stone’s throw from the “Canebiere” and the Old Port, "Mama Shelter", which will be managed by one of France’s leading operators (Trigano – the founders of Club Med) will consist of 126 studio apartments on 6 levels offering top quality accommodation and all amenities for a business and a tourism clientele.

After Mama Shelter Paris, this new leaseback property in Marseille will be part of a range of 9 boutique residences to be opened in all the major French cities by 2012.

Mama Shelter invents a new design concept to meet the needs of corporate travellers by providing comfortable, affordable accommodation with self-catering facilities allowing for longer, more restful stays.

The Mama Shelter concept is also exceptional from the investor’s point of view: a 20 year lease guaranteeing a high return of 4.7% net of all charges.

Mama Shelter Paris has been voted "One of 50 the best business hotels in the world, has received a "Design Award" by Travel and Leisure Magazine and has been listed as one of the Top 100 hotels in Europe.

The area:
The city that has given its name to the French National Anthem, Marseille is a fascinating melting-pot of Mediterranean cultures. With a population of over 1 600 000 it is France’s second largest city after Paris and has the largest commercial port of the Mediterranean.
A major trading port since it was founded by the Greeks in 600 BC, Marseille has had a tumultuous history and many buildings and monuments bear witness to its extraordinary past. The old port today is a private Marina lined with restaurants, shops and bars, while the new port to the west of the city dominates the local economy.
Marseille is a major French centre for trade and industry, however new sectors of the economy are now developing rapidly in fields such as medical research, high technology and the image industry. The arts and culture play an important role, not just in the economy but also in the daily life of the inhabitants who enjoy nightlife unrivalled by any other French city. Marseille has been elected “European Capital of Culture” in 2013, a factor which will no doubt further contribute to the city’s entry into a new era.
Now a modern city, benefiting form a remarkable transportation network, be it by air, sea, road or train, Marseille is now only 3 hours (750 km) from Paris by TGV and has direct lines to Geneva, Strasbourg, Nantes and Lille. This is widely though to have caused property prices to double in just five years. Marseille also has an underground and a tram system.
Marseille is a major tourist destination with a well adapted infrastructure; this buzzing city is full of galleries, museums, monuments and eateries and also boasts a very long stretch of sandy beaches lined with restaurants and cafes. The coastline to the east is reputed for its “Calanques”, intricate rocky coves only accessible by footpath or by boat. Here you will find tiny restaurants serving fresh fish and Pastis, the local drink flavoured with aniseed. The area around Marseille boasts some of the most spectacularly beautiful coastline in the world, which, surprisingly enough, is still relatively undiscovered.

Our opinion:
An excellent investment opportunity for those seeking a secure, long-term investment with a high return.