Investment approach
Hotel, Aparthotel, Hostel: Differences in Licence and Economics
In Catalonia a hotel, an aparthotel and tourist apartments have different legal status and different mandatory services. Staffing, the average rate and what counts as profit all depend on it.
An aparthotel in Catalonia differs from a hotel in that its accommodation units are equipped with a kitchen. The law, however, distinguishes the hotel apartament (a hotel group, with stars) from apartamentos turísticos (a whole building of apartments, no stars, cleaning at least once a week). A hostel has no category of its own. The difference in status changes staffing, the average rate and the share of revenue that is left for the investor.
Which Types of Accommodation the Law Distinguishes
The basis is Decret 159/2012 on establecimientos de alojamiento turístico (tourist accommodation establishments). The table follows the text published in the DOGC (Catalonia's official gazette) on 5 December 2012. I have not checked it line by line against all later amendments, so confirm the current wording with an abogado (Spanish lawyer).
| Type | What it is under the decree | Stars | Limit on composition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel (H) | rooms with a bathroom | 1–5 and GL | up to 40% of units may be apartments or studios, art. 33.3 |
| Hotel apartament (Ha) | apartments and studios with a kitchen | 1–5 and GL | up to 40% of units may be ordinary rooms, art. 33.4 |
| Apartamentos turísticos (AT) | a building or continuous complex made up only of apartments, a single business, art. 37 | none | cleaning at least once a week, reception from 10 m² |
| Hostal or pensión (P) | a single category P, art. 34 | none | requirements in Anexo I |
An apartamento in the decree's sense (art. 32) includes at least a bedroom, a living-dining room, a bathroom and a kitchen. A studio is a single shared space with a bathroom and a kitchen.
Hostels are not in the table. The decree expressly leaves youth facilities outside its scope (art. 1.3), and how to register a commercial hostel with bed spaces is a question for an abogado and for the Registre de Turisme de Catalunya (Tourism Register of Catalonia), not for a broker's advertising.
How the Status Is Declared
The owner files a declaración responsable (a sworn declaration submitted to the authority) with a self-classification (art. 4–5). The Generalitat then checks it and, if it does not match, reclassifies the property. The establishment is entered in the Registre de Turisme de Catalunya (art. 6). A municipal licence is needed separately, and this is where the city plan comes in. More on the zones in the article on PEUAT. How the plan applies to an aparthotel as opposed to a hotel should be checked against the text of the plan: I cannot give a general answer without a specific property.
How the Difference Affects the Economics
The logic of an aparthotel is this: guests stay longer, so there are fewer check-ins, less cleaning, less marketing and fewer reception staff, and no mandatory restaurant. According to the HVS review (July 2026), rates at serviced apartments are usually lower than at comparable full-service hotels, while the GOP margin can be noticeably higher than a hotel's thanks to savings on staff and F&B. HVS also notes that in 2025 average rates in its sample fell, and RevPAR dropped.
A higher margin does not mean a higher profit. Worked example, not a forecast; all assumptions are mine:
| Hotel | Aparthotel | |
|---|---|---|
| Units | 40 | 40 |
| Occupancy | 80% | 80% |
| Average rate (ADR) | 200 € | 170 € |
| Room revenue | 2.336 M€ | 1.9856 M€ |
| Other revenue (F&B etc.) | 15% of rooms | 3% of rooms |
| Total revenue | 2.6864 M€ | 2.045168 M€ |
| GOP margin (assumption) | 35% | 42% |
| GOP | about 940 thousand € | about 859 thousand € |
Here the aparthotel wins on margin and loses on the amount. What exactly counts in GOP is explained in the article on the operator's report. Real ADR and margin for a property come from the operator's budget, not from an example like this.
What to Check Before Choosing a Format
- What licence status the building holds now and whether it can be changed: a change of type is a change of characteristics that must be reported (art. 7).
- How the format relates to the restriction on tourist flats in Barcelona: it concerns viviendas de uso turístico (tourist-use dwellings) and is described here, but how it relates to apartamentos turísticos is for a lawyer to decide.
- Which format the building's layout allows: a kitchen in every unit requires engineering solutions, and the hotel apartament has Anexo I requirements.
- Which management model suits the format: the comparison is in the article on lease, management and franchise.
Who the Aparthotel Does Not Suit
Anyone counting on a high ADR and restaurant income: by definition, the format has less of both. Anyone not ready for seasonal and market swings: HVS shows a fall in rates in 2025. To assess a hotel project as a whole, look at the indicators and assumptions and the page on DNPI hotel strategies.
Questions and answers
How does an aparthotel differ from a tourist flat?
An aparthotel is a single enterprise with services and an entry in the Registre de Turisme de Catalunya, a building or complex made up entirely of apartments. A tourist flat (vivienda de uso turístico) is a separate dwelling in an ordinary building, and different rules apply to it.
Can a hotel rent out apartments?
Yes, up to 40% of a hotel's units may be apartments or studios, provided they belong to the same operating unit and are in the same building (art. 33.3 Decret 159/2012).
Does an aparthotel need stars?
Only the hotel apartament (a hotel group) is classified by stars. Apartamentos turísticos receive the AT mark with no stars.
Which is more profitable: a hotel or an aparthotel?
There is no universal answer. An aparthotel saves on staff and a restaurant but usually sells a room for less. The decision depends on the building, the district and the operator's budget.
