They are three different models. In a condhotel you buy an apartment in full ownership inside a hotel governed by Prime Ministerial Decree 13/2018. Residences can reach 40% of the net floor area of the rooms; the hotel needs at least three stars and unified management for at least ten years. The contract with the operator allows it to use the unit for hotel purposes, with the owner’s consent, when the owner is not using it. An aparthotel, by contrast, is a type of accommodation business, the residenza turistico-alberghiera: an establishment made up mostly of apartments. In a branded residence you buy an owned unit in a complex carrying a hotel operator’s brand and services. Our analysis of branded residences in Italy looks at this last model in depth.
