{"id":32251,"date":"2013-07-01T15:25:21","date_gmt":"2013-07-01T14:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/residences-urbaines-des-airs-trendy-de-home-sweet-home-20130701.html"},"modified":"2016-02-10T10:11:18","modified_gmt":"2016-02-10T09:11:18","slug":"urban-residences-with-a-trendy-home-sweet-home-feel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.voyages-d-affaires.com\/en\/urban-residences-with-a-trendy-home-sweet-home-feel","title":{"rendered":"Urban residences: a trendy take on home sweet home"},"content":{"rendered":"

From one opening to the next, from upmarket upgrades to up-to-the-minute refurbishments, hotel residences have become the preferred choice of long-distance travellers. The highlight is the famous kitchenette, the very essence of the 'residence' product, which frees guests from the constraints of dining alone in a public place, freeing them from the inconveniences of business travel by making their stay feel like a 'home sweet home'.<\/p>\n

This compact, but very well-equipped kitchen is not, of course, the only strong point of the concept... Ultra-competitive prices that are degressive according to the length of stay, a larger room surface area than in the 'classic' hotel sector, a location close to business centres: at a time when companies are looking twice before sending their staff up and down the country, all these details count. Not only to reduce the accommodation bill, but also all the ancillary costs, especially restaurant bills.<\/p>\n

Long-stay accommodation also responds to the profound aspirations of this new wave of business travellers. For them, there's no need for ostentation or superfluous services: freedom and privacy come first. And today, in the best of cases, exclusivity is added to the fundamentals of the model. \"While there are some very top-of-the-range hotel products, why shouldn't there be five-star residences, with a high level of services while remaining within the canons of the residence product? People may have comfortable incomes, but they still appreciate having breakfast at home and cooking rather than going out to dinner every night in a good restaurant,\" points out Alain Ferracani, vice-president of sales and marketing for the Ascott group, which has owned the mid-range Citadines brand since 2004.<\/p>\n

In March, Ascott launched its Citadines Suites, a concept of five-star boutique residences housed in buildings steeped in history. The first of its kind, the former Citadines Louvre, near the Palais Royal in Paris, reopened its doors after nine months of renovation, bearing the stamp of this new label. The establishment, housed in a 1908 Art Nouveau building, offers 51 flats, each with its own unique character. In addition to a highly contemporary decor, the hotel also offers a range of \"plus\" services for executives. leaders, diplomats and professionals <\/span>the establishment: china in the bedrooms, Free WiFi throughout the hotel, bar at <\/span>discretion in the style of airport lounges... The brand is working on a new second Citadines Suites by 2014, <\/span>also in Paris, the result of the renovation of the former Costes K hotel, now marketed under the Ascott brand.<\/p>\n

This new luxury version\u00a0<\/span>The new building is part of a wider renovation programme. \"Ten of our residences have already been brought up to date and, by<\/em> 2015, a total of 30 establishments will have a new look, both <\/span>third of our European fleet\".<\/em>says Alain Ferracani. The Citadines his makeover<\/span>is part of this vast project, to which is added another segmentation <\/span>four-star Citadines Prestige, a high-end, designer offering now comprising three residences in Paris and three in London.<\/span><\/p>\n


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Time for major works<\/h2>\n

\"TheAs you can see, work is well under way among the leaders in the long-stay hotel sector. Ascott is not alone in revamping its product. Frasers, another doyen of the sector, has undertaken to give its establishments a welcome contemporary feel, with the icing on the cake being the widespread availability of free WiFi. \"We arrived in Europe <\/em>in the early 2000s,\" says Guus Bakker, Director of Operations for Europe and the Middle East at Frasers. These residences had reached the end of a <\/em>first life cycle.\" After the Frasers Suites in Glasgow, the London establishments at Canary Wharf and Queens Gate - the latter moving from the Frasers Place banner to the more prestigious Frasers Suites - will be fnis in the summer, at the same time as the designers get to work on the Frasers Suites Kensington, the group's flagship in the British capital. In Paris, the Frasers Suites Claridges on the Champs \u00c9lys\u00e9es is also getting busy, and will soon be offering a new d\u00e9cor in a very 'Parisian chic' style. Then it will be the turn of the Harmonie residence at La D\u00e9fense, a firm favourite with business travellers, to begin its metamorphosis.<\/p>\n

This design movement is spreading to mid-range and budget establishments. As a result, the urban hotel residence, appreciated by business travellers for its essentially functional character, is now going for emotional appeal. The Appart'City group, which has a range of two- and three-star establishments, took this lifestyle turn last year, commissioning interior designer Laurence Medaouri-Lubetzki to create warm harmonies. The new residences feature a mix of modern materials and lines, contemporary colours... but don't forget the essentials, with a new, more spacious bed and fluffy duvets.<\/p>\n

\"WhetherIn fact, many of these new residences have a very contemporary look! This year alone, Appart'City has already opened, or will soon be opening, residences in Marseille, Orleans, St Nazaire, Bobigny, Angers, Amiens, Perpignan, Cherbourg, Mulhouse and Annemasse. \"We are approaching the 75-establishment mark for 9400 flats, representing year-on-year growth of 15%. We expect the pace to be just as strong in 2014 and 2015.<\/em>says Edouard Bon, Managing Director of a group that operates in most French provincial towns as well as the Paris region. \"Our growth means we can meet the needs of major accounts who send their staff across France, SMEs looking for affordable accommodation, and the entertainment industry for accommodation for touring companies.<\/em>adds \u00c9douard Bon.<\/p>\n

Continued growth<\/h2>\n

\"InWhile, like chain hotels, the concept of long-stay accommodation originated in the United States, it has been booming in France since Citadines was the first to embark on the adventure in 1984. France, the land of choice for hotel residences? According to the Syndicat national des r\u00e9sidences de tourisme, there are now 436 establishments and 42,000 units. Is this the result of favourable tax arrangements, or is it the consequence of a strong desire on the part of travelling executives to be away from their family cocoon for a week, a month or a year? There's certainly a little of all that in the dazzling growth of Appart'City, Park & Suites, Reside \u00c9tudes, Hipark, Citadines and Adagio, brands that are now very familiar to business travellers.<\/p>\n

Unlike Appart'City, which pursues a mono-brand approach to the market - \"We want a simple, easy-to-understand offering with a single price and product range, from Lille to Marseille\".<\/em>says \u00c9douard Bon - the other groups are playing the diversification card. The aim is to offer a range of quality residences to suit all levels of corporate hierarchy. While, as we have seen, Citadines is adding top-of-the-range and luxury features to appeal to a clientele of senior executives, Adagio, with Adagio Access and Adagio City, has a budget brand backed up by their flagship three-to-four-star brand.<\/p>\n

Reside \u00c9tudes does the same with S\u00e9jours & Affaires and Residhome. \"We cover France with 40 two-star S\u00e9jours & Affaires establishments and 23 three- and four-star Residhome establishments,<\/em> explains Laurent Noiriel, the Group's Deputy Managing Director. Today, R\u00e9side \u00c9tudes is focusing its strategy on developing its mid-range brand to complement these budget establishments. If you offer a two-star hotel in Lyon, but not a three- or four-star hotel, you run the risk of customers leaving for the competition,\" continues Laurent Noiriel. After Marseille, Reims and Valenciennes recently, Residhome will be opening in Issy les Moulineaux, Neuilly Plaisance and Roissy in 2014.<\/em><\/p>\n


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At the same time, R\u00e9side \u00c9tudes is making a foray into the luxury sector with its two five-star Relais & Spa residences. While the first, close to Disneyland, is geared towards leisure and incentive clients, the second, in the Paris CDG airport zone, allows frequent travellers to combine business with pleasure with its Nuxe spa. Relaxation is important when you travel a lot,\" says Laurent Noiriel. As well as a beautiful swimming pool, we offer around thirty beauty treatments, as well as anti-jet lag treatments. In fact, we're thinking of extending the spa's opening hours to after 10pm to accommodate customers arriving on the last flights.<\/em><\/p>\n


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Towards new horizons<\/h2>\n

Baptised by Pierre & Vacances and Accor, Adagio, Europe's leader in long-stay accommodation, has no immediate plans to extend its offer to the top end of the market or to wellness. On the strength of its well-established brands, the group is working on the second phase of integrating the Cit\u00e9a budget residences, which were rebranded as Adagio Access in 2011. \"We're thinking about the atmosphere we're going to give to the new generation of Adagio Access, which should be launched in 2014. This evolution will be in keeping with the product, i.e. a range of clever residences with mobile and functional furniture and a revised kitchenette\".<\/em>explains Anne-Lise Seurat, e-commerce and marketing director at Adagio.<\/p>\n

\"Brussels,With three Adagio Access properties due to open in 2013 near the Bastille in Paris, in Clichy and in Le Havre, Adagio is looking abroad to continue its expansion. International expansion could be one of the major trends in the sector in the years to come. The price of success is that long-stay brands have grown so fast in the space of a decade that some are beginning to feel a little cramped within France's borders.<\/p>\n

Appart'City has taken its first step in Belgium, in Arlon, and is preparing to take a second in Li\u00e8ge, where Park & Suites is due to open a Prestige residence in 2014. For its part, supported by the Accor group's development teams, Adagio is looking much further afield than its neighbouring countries. Already present in several European cities, including Cologne and Liverpool recently, Adagio is preparing to open five establishments in Brazil, two in the Emirates - Abu Dhabi and Fujairah - and one in Russia, in Moscow.<\/p>\n

Indeed, it's in all these far-flung destinations that the 'long stay' dimension really comes into its own. We have projects underway in Dubai and Doha and are beginning to take an interest in Africa,\" comments Guus Bakker. While companies in Europe are tightening their budgets, they are not hesitating to authorise long stays in residence as part of their developments in the Middle East or Africa. Companies even have a growing need for this type of accommodation. I remember an oil group that contacted us and was ready to invest in the construction of a residence in Central Asia. In the end, even if the project didn't go ahead, this example illustrates the strong demand from major multinationals.<\/em><\/p>\n


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Stefan, a customer of the Marriott Executive Apartments in Seoul, is on his fourth long-term expatriation to these establishments created by the Marriott group, one of the few American hoteliers to have developed a long-stay offer outside the United States: \"I've been able to move around the world without furniture and without having to worry about moving home every time. My job requires me to travel a lot and I like to feel at home when I'm back at my destination. It's a perfect combination of a flat and a Marriott hotel.\"<\/em><\/p>\n


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In some emerging countries, hotel residences take on another aspect, offering a credible alternative to rental accommodation, with the added reassurance of offering a product that meets international standards. \"In Europe, if you move for two or three years, you rent a flat. In Asia, that's not always the case,\" notes Alain Ferracani. In Vietnam, for example, where access to private flats is nowhere near as easy as it is in France, expatriates often have no other choice than hotel residences. This has an impact on the type of accommodation we offer, with more two- and three-bedroom flats for families than individual studios.<\/em><\/p>\n


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Generation ipad<\/h2>\n

On the strength of these arguments, Ascott and Frasers, both from Singapore, are taking advantage of the business centres that are springing up all over Asia to expand their offer. Drawing on its portfolio of brands, including Citadines, Somerset and Ascott, the eponymous group is planning new openings in the continent's key metropolises - Shanghai, Hanoi and Manila among others - as well as in secondary cities such as Surabaya in Indonesia, Iskandar in Malaysia, Hai Phong and Da Nang in Vietnam and Xiamen, Wuhan and Chengdu in China.<\/p>\n

\"RenovationsFrasers, for its part, has launched a new, highly contemporary brand, Capri by Frasers. Focusing on new technologies to appeal to the 'iPad generation', the first establishment has opened in Singapore, close to the airport and the Singapore EXPO conference centre. As well as a restaurant open 24 hours a day, high-tech business travellers will find a 'Data Box' for recharging any digital device, LED screens, iPod stations and Wii and Xbox consoles installed in the launderettes to pass the time in a fun way. A second Capri by Frasers has opened in Ho Chi Minh City, with a third due to open in Kuala Lumpur in November. And who knows, maybe one day in Lyon or Marseille... Guus Bakker hopes so: \"With Capri by Frasers, we have a new string to our bow that should enable us to expand throughout Asia, as well as in Europe's secondary metropolises\".<\/em><\/p>\n


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Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, South America, Africa... look for the missing link in the development of long-stay brands... The preserve of local brands - Residence Inn, Extended Stay, Staybridge - North America remains a stronghold that is difficult for foreign groups to conquer. So, to open up on this continent, it is necessary to take the low road. For example, Ascott has entered into a cross-marketing partnership with the AKA group, which offers luxury residences in the heart of New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Beverly Hills. A policy of small steps that should satisfy the multinationals won over by this type of accommodation on both sides of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n