Foncière des Murs, the hospitality unit of Foncière des Régions, has sold four budget hotel properties in the French cities of Montpellier, Lille, Courbevoie and Nantes to different private investors for a total of EUR 24 mln. The disposal prices are in line with appraisal values, the company said.

Foncière des Murs, the hospitality unit of Foncière des Régions, has sold four budget hotel properties in the French cities of Montpellier, Lille, Courbevoie and Nantes to different private investors for a total of EUR 24 mln. The disposal prices are in line with appraisal values, the company said.

The assets are located in city centres and offer 519 rooms operated under the Ibis and Etap Hôtel brands, part of the Accor hotel chain. They are leased with a 12-year rental agreement. Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels advised the seller. 'The sale of these four hotels demonstrate the liquidity of the hotel property portfolio of Foncière des Murs,' the company said in a statement.

Also in France, Fonciere Massena signed a preliminary agreement last week to acquire an office building located at rue Cambacérès in the eighth arrondissement of Paris. The transaction price amounts to over EUR 26 mln, excluding taxes. The property was completely redeveloped in 1992 and provides nearly 3,000 m2 of office space across five floors as well as 49 parking spaces. The building is completely leased for a fixed term until December 2014.

'This acquisition is perfectly in line with Fonciere Massena's strategy to develop its office portfolio through investments in high-quality buildings, which are completely new or recently restructured, located in strategic locations and offering a secure rental income,' the company said in a statement. Listed on Euronext Paris, Fonciere Massena is the real estate investment vehicle of insurer Crédit Mutuel. The firm owns a portfolio consisting of 118 buildings with a value of around EUR 780 mln and representing a surface area of 257,000 m2.