The British group edyn, which specialises in long-stay hotels, is preparing to make a big splash in Paris and France. Hitherto developed in the British Isles and Germany, its upmarket lifestyle brand Locke is expected to launch in 2024. a stone's throw from the Panthéon and the Sorbonnein the Ve arrondissement. A prestigious location for an establishment that, given its description, will be no less prestigious.
Indeed, it is an 18th century town housee century which will be converted into a 145-room aparthotel with a boutique feel, in keeping with the hybrid hospitality style promoted by edyn. The establishment will feature lifestyle elements including a restaurant and bar, housed under a restored glass atrium, and a winter garden. The social areas, covering 1,000 m², will also include a café and a workspace, in addition to classic long-stay components such as a laundry and a gym. The studios will be housed in a new building currently under construction to the rear of the period residence.
"Locke will be the first design-led lifestyle aparthotel to open in Parisand we are delighted to be presenting our avant-garde brand in such an iconic city." commented Stephen McCall, CEO of edyn. This development is part of the European expansion of a long-stay and lifestyle brand which currently has 12 establishments, including six to be opened in 2021 alone, in London, Cambridge, Dublin and Munich.
European ambitions for Locke
The boom continued this year with a new address in Munich, the WunderLocke - Sendling. A vast aparthotel with 360 studios, complete with a workspace and meeting rooms, a heated outdoor swimming pool and, above all, the WunderLocke - Sendling.a rooftop bar and four restaurants by the founders of the Michelin-starred Mural restaurant. Still in Germany, the Locke brand has also appeared in Berlin, in the Friedrichshain district, with the Locke at East Side Gallery. Here too, the aparthotel has a lifestyle feel, with a bar and restaurant, a rooftop terrace overlooking the Spree, and social spaces for work and meetings.
To go even further and underpin its development ambitions, the edyn group obtained a credit facility of more than £100 million from Blackstone and KSL Capital Partners at the beginning of 2022, bringing the total funding for the long-stay hotel operator to £300 million. These funds have already been used to acquire an existing property in Zurich - the Ascot Hotel - which will be converted to the Locke brand by next year, and also to invest in the following projects an ambitious project in Lisbon. Along the same lines as in Paris, edyn will be converting a historic building, a former convent located near the Avenida da Liberdade. With two restaurants, three cocktail bars, coworking facilities, meeting rooms, a swimming pool and, above all, 369 flats, it is set to become the largest Locke when it opens in 2023.
Another recently announced acquisition is that of the NH Kensington hotel in London which will bring Locke's offering in the British capital to six establishments. Expected to open in June 2023, this former hotel belonging to the NH Hotels group, located on Cromwell Road, is being transformed into a designer aparthotel with 121 flats. And, like everywhere else, it will have a bar, a restaurant and coworking and meeting spaces.
