Category: Case Law
Revisiting the prohibition on tourism rentals by condominium law
The popularity in Spain of vacation rentals has been accompanied by a rise in litigation between the owners of tourist apartments and the condominium law of the buildings where those apartments are located. This litigation, initially concentrated in courts of first instance and appeal courts, has ended up in the hands of the Supreme Court. […]
Parity clauses between hotel reservation platforms and hotel establishments are not “ancillary restraints”
The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has ruled on price parity clauses in contracts between an important hotel reservation platform and hotel establishments. The CJEU has determined that these clauses must be analyzed under the rules on anticompetitive agreements as they cannot be qualified as “ancillary restraints” since they are not strictly […]
The impact on hotels, restaurants and cafés of the Spanish Special Tax on Non-Reusable Plastic Packaging: main challenges
The tax impacts on companies in this sector, both through the higher cost of product purchases and through their obligations as taxpayers, in relation to intra-Community acquisitions and imports of non-reusable plastic packaging. On January 1st of 2023, the Special Tax on Non-Reusable Plastic Packaging, an indirect tax aimed at reducing the use of non-reusable […]
Vacation rentals: how does the prohibition of economic or hospitality activities in community of owners (“comunidad de propietarios”) affect?
The Supreme Court has recently ruled on whether or not the rental of residential properties as vacation accommodation constitutes an economic activity and, in relation to this question, whether the statutes of communities of owners can prohibit such non-residential use. The huge growth in the popularity of vacation rentals has generated many questions regarding the […]
Transfers of hotels and tourist establishments: the Supreme Court marks the boundaries of the nontollable time period in audits of reported values of real estate assets
A recent judgment by the Spanish Supreme Court has established case law on an issue that may be very relevant to audits of reported values in transfers of tourist-hotel properties. In light of the new case law, assessments already issued in concluded reported value audit proceedings should be checked in order to review their potential […]
Landmark ruling on sovereign inmunity: the Central Santa Lucía vs. Meliá case
The Provincial Court of Palma de Mallorca has ruled out that Spanish courts can decide the proceedings between the US company Central Santa Lucía against Meliá Hotels International, the Republic of Cuba and the Cuban company Grupo de Turismo Gaviota. We review the lengthy legal proceedings that have ended in a favourable ruling for Meliá. […]