OPENINGS IN 2018

Adagio: London Brentford, Amsterdam, Munich, Airport NATO Bruxelles, Morocco; Hipark by Adagio: Marseille, Paris, Serris, Nice and Grenoble; Adagio access: Montpellier Ascott: Lyf, Shenzhen, China; Citadines, London Islington; Kwarleyz Residence, Accra, Ghana; Crest Collection, La Clef ChampsElysées Paris; Citadines Fifth Avenue New York Native: Empire Warehouse, London; The Anchor Line, Glasgow Oakwood: Oakwood Apartments in Japan, Tokyo (40) and Shin-osaka (285), and China in Yanghzhou and Sanya Q Apartments/skyline: Sao Paulo, Brazil (120); and Central London Quest: 10 aparthotels in New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria Room2: Southampton SACO: Manchester Locke, London Moorgate (branding tbc) and a further London property (details tbc) Staybridge Suites: Manchester, London Kensington, The Hague – Parliament Staycity: Wilde Aparthotels London the Strand (106); Staycity: Liverpool

“Travellers want to pay less and are willing to accept smaller apartments, which is where we are seeing an increase in demand – for economy options within the market,” says Director of European Operations for Aparthotel Adagio, Anja Müller.

Managing Director of Select Apartments, Simon Morrison, agrees. “In the past six to 12 months, we have definitely seen a trend for clients’ looking at the budget segment of the market,” he says.

But words like economy and budget meet opposition in some quarters. Yotel wears the label ‘affordable luxury’ and Ascott’s Marc Sandfort says: “I am hesitant to use the word budget; it is an offering to a different market. Brands like Lyf or Yotel look specifically at millennials – the very tech savvy travellers – others appeal to the more experienced traveller, the business executive.”

Yotel has signed deals for five properties, including Utah and Miami. As is common, the property in Dubai, announced in 2015, deviates from the norm, having two F&B outlets and a minimum room size of 35m2, as opposed to 20-22m2 elsewhere.

Throughout the brand, facilities will include gyms, bike storage, laundry, home cinema and communal lounges for working and socialising. The Yotelpad app will allow booking, check-in/out, act as digital key, ordering of amenities and food, and give details of activities in the neighbourhood.

A world apart Competition among aparthotel operators continues to push the boundaries. Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) is redesigning Staybridge Suites with a more contemporary feel and typical of this is the co-branded Manchester Crowne Plaza and Staybridge Suites property. It is Cycas Hospitality’s first double-decker property and opens in April with 116 units. The aparthotel occupies the top eight storeys of the building, with meeting room, fitness room, laundry and free buffet breakfast on the 18th floor. The Crowne Plaza has a restaurant, seven meeting rooms and gym.

“Dual branded sites are becoming increasingly popular with investors as they allow a higher density of rooms and provide extended stay guests with the additional