A purveyor of the affordable, hybrid hospitality concept increasingly seen in major cities, JO&JOE is soon to expand its offerings in France. Launched in 2016 by Accor, this brand, a blend of a new-generation hostel and classic hotel, will benefit from a partnership established between Aken Ecosystèmes and the French group for the development of at least ten projects.
Already present in the Paris region, near Place de la Nation and in Gentilly, as well as in Hossegor – but also in Vienna, Rio, Rome, Budapest and in three Chinese cities -, the Jo&Joe brand will be involved in "hyper-campuses" mixing educational sites, student accommodation and, thanks to Jo&Joe, urban and flexible hospitality.
Aken Ecosystèmes, founded in 2022 by the OBI group alongside the training provider Ynov Campus, has specialised in the development and operation of social and educational infrastructure. And, with this "hypercampus" concept, this "company with a mission" has, since 2024, aimed to co-create multi-purpose venues with regions focused on living together and innovation.
Teaching, training, coworking, accommodation solutions: the Hypercampus Val d’Europe, the first project expected in 2028 in Chessy, near Marne-La-Vallée, embodies this vision which responds, in particular, to the student housing crisis. Within this framework, it will combine 9,100 m² of teaching and coworking spaces, 113 student apartments and, for JO&JOE, 156 keys between dormitories and private rooms. Added to this are 650 m² of living space – bar, restaurant, events – and 90 m² of seminar room.
" By bringing together students, professionals, residents and services in the same ecosystem, we are making the hypercampus a fully lived-in place, not just a place to pass through. " explains Rémi Ehrhart, co-founder of Aken Ecosystèmes and CEO of Ynov Campus. " JO&JOE goes beyond traditional accommodation by offering communal spaces that encourage social interaction., adds François Leclerc, SVP Emerging Brands at Accor and in charge of the JO&JOE brand. It's a new way of living and studying, centred on the community ".
In addition to Chessy–Val d’Europe, other projects are confirmed in Bordeaux, Reims, and also in Toulouse. A city where Aken Ecosystèmes is already present with a campus in the Compans Caffarelli district and which already included a accommodation dimension with a 354-room establishment of The Social Hub, from this Dutch group formerly known as The Student Hotel.
The Social Hub, which has a proven track record in Europe with around twenty establishments, notably in the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, in addition to being announced in Edinburgh, the Hilton Group Which company bought Graduate Hotels in 2024, located on American university campuses, and now JO&JOE: the trend is for many hospitality players to return to their studies. Especially since, alongside these projects concerning JO&JOE, a Tribe hotel, also from the Accor group, will open this summer a stone's throw from the Montpellier Sud de France train station, in the rapidly developing Cambacérès district, at the heart of a business and innovation ecosystem that already hosts a 5,000 m² Ynov campus.
