Unusual hotel concept puts out welcome mat
High-tech firm to offer over 100 rooms
SAN JOSE >> A housing highrise in downtown San Jose is about to embark on an unusual mission: A techenabled hospitality company will offer more than 100 hotel rooms in the residential tower.
Placemakr, a lodging operator and tech platform, is preparing to launch a “popup hotel” within Miro, a residential complex with two housing towers.
“When we started the company, we envisioned a flexible future in which the needs surrounding where we live and how we travel converge,” Jason Fudin, chief executive officer and co-founder of Placemakr, said in comments that accompanied a March announcement of $90 million in equity investment.
Placemakr intends to offer 105 hotel rooms in the 630-unit Miro residential complex, which was built and is owned by an affiliate headed up by Bayview Development Group.
Miro contains 326 dwellings in one tower and 304 residences in the other highrise. The development is located on East Santa Clara Street between North Fourth and North Fifth streets, near San Jose City Hall.
The pop-up hotel is a way to generate revenue while the real estate firm leases up the several hundred residences in the two towers, Bayview Development executives said.
“These are big buildings,” said Matt Conti, vice president of development with Bayview Development. “Even at a healthy pace of 30 leases a month, it's going to take some time.”
Leases are being signed only for the eastern tower of the Miro complex.
Guests in one of the 105 rooms that Placemakr will offer in Miro can expect a unique blend of a hotelapartment experience.
Placemakr intends to offer the amenities of a home with the services that one expects from a hotel stay.
Guests will be able to enjoy access to amenities such as a 24/7 fitness center, outdoor seating and grilling areas, a private dog park, a ground-floor Starbucks and a new Italian restaurant, according to Placemakr and Bayview Development.
Vine Hospitality, which owns and operates the Left Bank, LB Steak, Camper, and Meso Modern Mediterranean family of restaurants, has leased groundfloor space in Miro.
“It definitely will be a very vibrant Italian concept,” said Obadiah Ostergard, chief executive officer with Vine Hospitality.
The restaurant company leased about 6,800 square feet that will front on East Santa Clara Street at the corner of North Fourth Street.
“Placemakr's key driver is the belief that the future of hospitality lies in flexible living,” the company said in March. “As new societal norms form quickly, like remote work, consumer demand for flexible living options has rapidly increased.”
Guests will be able to book hotel accommodations starting sometime in May. The pop-up lodging will be known as WhyHotel by Placemakr.
Miro can benefit from this arrangement because the residential towers aren't completely leased yet. That means the empty apartment units can be re-purposed as lodging rooms in the pop-up hotel.
Placemakr also indicated that downtown San Jose is the type of location for which the company hungers.
“We place you in the heart of vibrant communities and open our doors to curated hotel-style apartments,” Placemakr states in a post on its website.
The Placemakr popup hotel will be in Miro's western tower at 28 N. Fourth St., according to Placemakr and Bayview Development.
“The hotel will be a way to activate the Miro towers, with more people in and out of the building,” Conti said. “Miro is going to activate this whole section of downtown San Jose.”