Profile
Charles Gschwind is a partner of the Real Estate team at Niederer Kraft Frey. He has broad experience in M&A with a particular focus on real estate transactions and hospitality matters. He advises domestic and international clients on asset deals, portfolio transactions, development projects, acquisitions of real estate companies and real estate finance, as well as on private and public construction law, administrative law matters (e.g., Lex Koller and environmental law), general corporate, commercial and contract law, tenancy law and (pre-)litigation in the real estate sector. In the hospitality sector, Charles advises hotel groups, owners, investors and operators on hotel transactions, management and franchise agreements, operator transitions and furnished-living concepts, as well as on the Swiss regulatory framework for hotels, including operating permits, Lex Koller and Lex Weber. He was co-contributing editor (worldwide) of the inaugural Chambers Hotel Management & Transactions Guide. Charles is a recommended lawyer in real estate by Chambers and Legal 500. He publishes in his areas of expertise, has taught at the ZHAW MBA Program and SVIT School, and is a member of the Committee of SVIT Romandie.
Practice Areas
Sectors
Experience
Charles’ selected representations include advising:
- Pictet on the sale and lease back of its global headquarter in Geneva*
- Nestlé on its sale of a data center and office property near Lausanne*
- Swisscanto and PUBLICA on their sale of the commercial services area of the “La Maladière” stadium in Neuchâtel*
- Jumeirah Group on its acquisition of the Le Richemond hotel in Geneva*
- The Bastion Collection on the transition of the hotel management of The Woodward hotel in Geneva*
- PSP Swiss Property on its acquisition of the former global headquarter of Edmond de Rothschild in Geneva in a sale and lease back transaction*
- Arab Bank Switzerland on its acquisition of the Quarz’Up development project near Geneva in a share deal and on its acquisition of the MixCity development project near Lausanne in an asset deal*
- Swissroc and Orllati on their acquisition of 60,000 square meters of freehold land in the ZIMEYSA industrial area near Geneva in a share deal*
- Western Union on its acquisition of 14 Small World business locations in the German-, French- and Italian-speaking parts of Switzerland*
- La Collective de Prévoyance – COPRE on the sale of a residential complex in Nyon*
- Priora Suisse on its sale of a total of 36 properties (buildings and land) located within or directly adjacent to the airport perimeter to Zurich Airport*
- Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund on its sale of Magazine zum Globus and related prime properties to a joint venture of SIGNA and CENTRAL Group*
- Deka Immobilien on its acquisition of major logistics building near Geneva*
- Zürcher Kantonalbank / Swisscanto on various (further) real estate matters in the French- and German-speaking parts of Switzerland*
*Transactions handled before joining Niederer Kraft Frey
- Amendment to the Anti-Money Laundering Act lecturer, SVIT School, June 2026
- Real Estate: Trends and Developments Switzerland 2026 in: Chambers Global Practice Guides: Real Estate 2026, London 2026, pp. 605 – 613
- Hotel Management & Transactions Guide contributing editor, in: Chambers 2025
- Davos Baukultur Alliance meeting presenter, World Economic Forum, October 2025
- Real Estate Trends and Developments in Switzerland co-author, in: Chambers 2024
- LFAIE et crédits hypothécaires co-author, in : GesKR 2020
- Corporate Finance und Besonderheiten der Immobilienfinanzierung lecturer, ZHAW School of Management and Law, MBA Real Estate Management, June 2020
- Die Haftung des Immobilienbewerters lecturer, SVIT Real Estate School, October 2018 and March 2017
- Various publications on real estate case law in SVIT Immobilia
- SVIT Romandie (member of the Committee)
- Geneva Bar Association
- Zurich Bar Association
- Swiss Bar Association
- London Business School Alumni
German
French
English
Russian