Foruminvest sells sustainable Ruby hotel in Rotterdam to the Bouwinvest Hotel Fund

Project developer Foruminvest and the Bouwinvest Hotel Fund have reached agreement on the sale of the new Ruby hotel on Glashaven in the centre of Rotterdam.

Foruminvest has owned this prominent building since the beginning of last year and has drawn up plans for its redevelopment into a hip, modern and sustainable four-star Ruby hotel with 231 rooms. The environmental permit became irrevocable in April. The former office building from the 1950s will be largely stripped and given new facades in the (post-war) reconstruction style. The developer has set high standards in terms of sustainability, and the redevelopment will result in a BREEAM Excellent label. The new hotel’s energy use will also meet the Dutch Green Building Council’s Paris Proof standard, which will result in at least two-thirds less energy use than in comparable hotel buildings in the Netherlands, calculated according to the WEii protocol (DGBC).

The hotel has been leased on a long-term basis to Ruby Group, a German company known for its ‘lean luxury’ hotel concept. In February 2025, Ruby Group announced that IHG Hotels & Resorts had acquired the Ruby brand, marking the beginning of a strategic partnership alongside the groups’ ongoing expansion in Europe, the US, and Asia.

Foruminvest is responsible for the entire realisation, fitting out and interior design of the hotel. The hotel is expected to open in the summer of 2026.

Bas Jochims, Fund Manager for Bouwinvest’s Dutch Office & Hotel Investments, explains: “This acquisition in Rotterdam is in line with our strategy of protecting financial performance through both geographical diversification and the diversification of our operational partners. In addition, following its transformation, the building will meet strict sustainability standards.”

Aerjen Koeneman, Managing Director at Foruminvest: “Following the completion of our previous hotel project next door to the Ahoy convention centre (ibis Styles, with 250 rooms), we joined forces with the Ruby Group to find a suitable location for a hotel in the centre of Rotterdam. We found a suitable building in a beautiful location on Glashaven. We are restoring the beautiful original details and turning it into a modern and highly sustainable building. In addition to the major renovation, the Foruminvest team is also taking care of the interior design and realising the fitting out, the furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E), the IT systems and the operating supplies and equipment (OS&E). In Bouwinvest, we have found an expert and committed institutional investor that is a good fit with this type of project. We are looking forward to another successful collaboration.”