Hotel Investment in Sardinia
Sardinia recorded 3,872,836 arrivals in 2024, growing +12.8% year on year — among the strongest growth of any market in this series — with an average stay of 4.03 nights.
By Francesco Rozzi, Co-founder & Data Analyst · Updated
What the official record shows
Sardinia posted +12.8% growth in arrivals in 2024, materially faster than the Italian average. It is a resort market with a long average stay (4.03 nights) and a balanced demand base: roughly half domestic, half international, which is unusual for a destination with the Costa Smeralda's international profile.
The island's hotel economy is strongly seasonal and strongly geographic. The north-east operates at the top of the European luxury market; other coastal areas operate at very different price points; the interior is largely undeveloped for tourism. Aggregate island figures therefore conceal wide variation, and any acquisition analysis has to be done at the level of the specific coast rather than the region.
Seasonality is the central operating question. A property open five months a year has a fundamentally different cost structure from one that trades longer, and the realistic length of the operating season for a given location is one of the first things to establish.
| Tourism demand — Sardinia | 2023 | 2024 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrivals | 3,433,328 | 3,872,836 | +12.8% |
| of which international | 1,695,903 | 2,015,982 | +18.9% |
| Overnight stays | 14,107,027 | 15,610,251 | +10.7% |
| of which international | 6,794,862 | 7,976,663 | +17.4% |
| Accommodation supply — 2024 | Count |
|---|---|
| Bed spaces (all accommodation) | 233,297 |
| Accommodation establishments | 6,860 |
| of which hotels | 1,035 |
| Five-star hotels | 50 |
| Four-star hotels | 315 |
| Three-star hotels | 458 |
How we work with international buyers
KW Hospitality is the hotel brokerage division of Keller Williams in Italy. We act for buyers and for owners on the acquisition, sale and leasing of accommodation businesses, and we work in English throughout.
- Brief and search. We establish what you are actually looking for — asset type, size, location, operating model, whether you intend to run it or appoint an operator — and search against it, including properties that are not on the market.
- Verification before commitment. Planning and building status, licences, staff contracts, encumbrances and the accounts are checked before you are asked to commit, not afterwards.
- Negotiation and completion. We negotiate terms and remain involved through to the deed of sale before an Italian notary, coordinating with your own legal and tax advisers.
- Confidentiality. Sale processes for operating hotels are conducted discreetly, because disclosure damages the business being sold.
If you are considering Sardinia, the most useful first step is a short conversation about what you are looking for. Write to us using the form below and we will respond with an honest view, including when we think the market does not suit the brief.
Discuss a hotel acquisition in Sardinia
Tell us what you are looking for. We will tell you what is available, and what is not.
Contact our teamConfidential portfolioFrequently asked questions
How large is the hotel market in Sardinia?
In 2024 Sardinia recorded 3,872,836 tourist arrivals, of which 2,015,982 were international. The accommodation stock comprises 233,297 bed spaces across 1,035 hotels. All figures are from the official ISTAT series.
What share of demand in Sardinia is international?
International visitors generated 51.1% of all overnight stays in 2024. This figure matters to an investor because it measures how far performance depends on inbound travel rather than on the Italian domestic market.
Can a foreign investor buy a hotel in Sardinia?
Yes. There is no general restriction on foreign ownership of Italian commercial property, though the practical requirements — an Italian tax code, a suitable holding structure and, for non-EU buyers, the condition of reciprocity — need to be handled before a transaction starts. See our guide on buying property in Italy as a foreigner.
Are hotels in Sardinia publicly listed for sale?
Most transactions of any size are handled off-market. Owners of operating businesses rarely advertise a sale, because doing so affects staff, bookings and supplier relationships. Access is normally through a broker holding a confidential mandate.
What data does KW Hospitality publish, and what does it not?
We publish the official tourism demand and accommodation supply record, because it is verifiable and it is the same for every buyer. We do not publish yield, rate or valuation figures on public pages: those are specific to an individual property, and a generic number is more likely to mislead than to inform.