As the Jo&Joe brand, this new generation of youth hostels created by Accor, enters its fifth year of existence, how have business customers embraced its mix of dormitories, as usual, but also en-suite rooms, as well as lively bars and restaurants? " It's often this way, at afterwork timecompany employees to discover ussays François Leclerc, Operations Director of Jo&Joe and Tribe, another recent Accor brand. Then their companies will start to organise seminars there, before, why not, using the premises to give a less formal touch to their corporate events."
Rooftop bars in Gentilly and Vienna - one of the biggest in the Austrian capital -, a garden at the Jo&Joe Nation, on-site catering: Jo&Joe is part of this trend. lifestyle trend a fast-growing part of the French group. Her idea of an "open house", a place to live in the spirit of the times, earned her a place in the joint venture Ennismore as well as more upmarket brands such as Mama Shelter, The Hoxton and SLS.
" At first, you might think that this concept would not appeal to business travellers. But this proved to be wrong" says François Leclerc. Since its inception, the accommodation on offer has evolved to meet their expectations, with an increase in the number of private roomsToday, they account for 30% of the establishments' inventory. " Comfortable, smart rooms, but without TVs or minibars, because our aim is to get our guests out and about, so they can meet up around the bar." underlines François Leclerc, who notes at the same time that ". A traveller who wants to work quietly in their room will be more likely to choose our classic brands."
Jo&Joe is also widely used by professionals: the booking of three- or four-person dormitories by a single passengerAnd at a lower rate than budget hotels. " We see it every day with business customers who have limited travel budgets, particularly in Paris." explains the Jo&Joe brand manager.
While Jo&Joe establishments obviously target a young clientele, the 18-35 age group, the range of possibilities has become much wider for this type of accommodation. " That's what today's youth hostel is all about, it's mixed. When you visit a hostel, you may come across a mother with a pushchair or a business group.says François Leclerc. At the Jo&Joe in Hossegor, I remember seeing surfers mingling at breakfast with employees in ties. As their company was organising a seminar not far from there, they had chosen to spend the night there without overspending.. "
While the HOssegor establishment, the first opened by the brand, has a space that can be converted into a meeting room, it was also recently chosen by a German company to host a seminar for 35 people. " It's true that you won't sleep as well at Jo&Joe's as you would in a Pullman, but we do offer a different, friendlier approach to team building. In this case, the group was able to go cycling, yoga and take part in a surfing masterclass." says the brand manager.
To cater for this seminar clientele, the establishments have meeting rooms which, without offering the comfort of leather armchairs and interactive whiteboards, are perfectly suited to professional meetingsThe rooms are equipped with overhead projectors. Jo&Joe in Gentilly, for example, has a large room next door to major companies such as Kantar, Sanofi, Orange and Ipsos, which is used almost weekly by a group of estate agents to train their new teams. " It's a real desire to reach out to customers who want to hold professional events in a different way.says François Leclerc. It is of interest to us in two ways: for seminars such as in Hossegor, which fill up the wings of the season, and for one-day meetings, particularly in Paris. "Or why not in Rio, since the next Jo&Joe is due to open in Brazil in mid-July? Housed in a former 1920s hotel, the future Jo&Joe Rio will also be able to host meetings and will be the second in South America after the one opened in mid-June in Medellin, Colombia.
In its five years of existence, the brand, which will soon have six establishments, has so far enjoyed moderate growth. But several openings are planned for the futureIn the summer of 2023, it will open in Rome, in a former palazzo, and at the end of the same year in Budapest, in the ruin bar district. The brand has also concluded a project in Ghent, Belgium, as well as a first variation of its concept in the mountains, at Isola 2000, with a hotel expected by 2024-2025. " This rate of two openings a year suits me finesays François Leclerc. Since we don't franchise the brand and we do management work, everything takes longer and longer.. "
However, Jo&Joe's offer is about to receive a huge boost in China. Indeed, prust under 1,300 establishments are expected to attend under a master franchise agreement between Ennismore and Funyard Hotels, a subsidiary of property developer Country Garden. " The metrics are so different in this countrysays the brand manager. This figure may make your head spin, but it's a medium-term objective." . A 'proof of concept' hotel should be available by the end of the year, and will serve as a basis for validating the model of future Chinese Jo&Joe hotels. There are already a few certainties, such as the absence of certain elements present in Europe. For example, as Chinese customers are not used to sleeping with strangers, dormitories will exist but can only be booked by groups. In view of the figures announced, is it really so surprising to make a few concessions to its standards?
