Over the last few months, multiple new brands were launched, ranging from Kerzner’s Siro wellness brand and Choice Hotels Comfort Rise & Shine concept, to news that travel search engine Kayak is jumping into the fray through a partnership with the hip yet efficient Life House brand. At the same time, others like Starwood Capital’s Treehouse brand created a noteworthy extension and Louvre Hotels Group, a subsidiary of Chinese giant Jin Jiang International Holdings Co., is developing an aparthotel concept called Tulip Residence. They all seem to have one thing in common: cashing in on evolving trends further propelled by the pandemic.
Here is a roundup of some of these new products, including exclusive commentary from the brand developers:
Kerzner’s wellbeing Siro brand
Kerzner International has launched a fitness and wellbeing brand called Siro, representing the pillars of Strength, Inclusive, Reflection and Original. Siro Boka Place, with 96 guest rooms and suites along with 145 residences, will launch in Porto Montenegro in late 2023.
Siro is being marketed as “an immersive lifestyle destination, blending the boundaries between hospitality, fitness, and wellness through a fresh perspective and energizing experiences. Siro will create a collective global community of like-minded individuals who live a high-performance lifestyle passionate about driving achievement and living their fullest potential.”
Kerzner International CEO Philippe Zuber told HOTELS, “We’ve observed that wellbeing is increasingly becoming a key driver in decision making for travel, as well as becoming an integral part of today’s lifestyle and consumer needs. There is no doubt that the pandemic has had an extraordinary impact on our industry, and the events of 2020 have, for many of us, highlighted the importance of health and balance in life… This market will continue to grow in the coming years as travelers increasingly hold their health in greater value and we saw an opportunity to surpass the current offerings with a new hospitality experience targeting holistic wellbeing.”
Zuber added that Kerzner’s long-term strategy is to grow the brand with hotels in key global cities, as well as destinations where it can develop an exceptional outdoor fitness offering with access to cycling trails, hikes, watersports, skiing, climbing or canyoning. “We are looking at major cities around the world that we feel would be a good home to Siro, from Miami to Dubai,” he said. “Siro could also work extremely well in a conversion of an existing asset, which makes it very attractive. We would like to sign 10 Siro hotels by 2025.”
Zuber said Kerzner will consider ownership stakes or strict management and anticipates that development costs will be below US$500,000 per key, excluding land. He added that ADR will differ by destination, of course, but rooms will start at under US$400 per night.
The Siro experience will offer a variety of performance fitness activities reflective of each destination, such as cycling, sailing, hiking, boxing, climbing, kite surfing and skiing. Siro Boka Place will offer guests a number of sailing circuits, as well as a variety of cycling routes of varying length and altitude for all fitness levels. In addition, Siro will offer streaming classes, workshops, and knowledge-sharing events to further connect the brand’s community.
A team of in-house specialists, including trainers, coaches, nutritionists, technicians, and hosts will support guests. A cutting-edge fitness club will be the heart of each hotel, offering a spacious gym, dedicated space for yoga and meditation, a swimming pool and use of local sports venues. A wide range of dynamic classes will be available in the high-tech fitness studio, developed and taught by specialists and elite athletes. To aid recovery and healing, Siro will also offer the Recovery Lab, including specialized massage therapies, meditation classes and sports rehabilitation.
Health and nutrition will also be at the core of Siro, with the culinary team working with local farms and artisans to serve seasonal and organic fare. In addition, specialists will provide nutritional advice and seminars to supplement guests’ lifestyle. Offering balance, a social bar for guests and the community will be the heartbeat of the hotel.
“We want to inspire people around the world to live better, grow stronger and connect more deeply,” Zuber added. “We will create an environment where guests can break barriers, challenge themselves, unwind and rejuvenate, and be part of a wider community.
“There are many hotels and resorts with very strong fitness offerings, but there are very few that have been built from the ground up with this laser-focus on guest wellbeing. As an established hospitality brand, we can and will leverage the extensive experience we have across Kerzner to ensure that the 360-degree guest experience is at the center of Siro.”
Comfort Rise & Shine
Choice Hotels International has unveiled for developers the Rise & Shine prototype option inside the Comfort brand with the first prototypes expected to open in 2023.
“We expect the first new construction prototype hotels will open in 2023, with many to follow in 2024,” Choice Chief Development Officer David Peppers told HOTELS. “We are already working on two new-construction projects that will reflect the Rise & Shine prototype, and construction timeframes are estimated within 18-24 months.”
Peppers said land costs are unique to the market and site, but approximately just under two acres are needed for the prototype. “We know that labor and materials costs have risen due to COVID,” he added. “As we move through recovery, we expect costs to decrease as lending and labor become more readily available.”
The new Comfort Rise & Shine prototype builds on the features of the long-time Comfort upper midscale brand and includes:
An efficient footprint: With reduced square footage, the Rise & Shine prototype delivers elevated fit and finish while maintaining Comfort’s efficient, cost-effective operating systems.
Innovative functionality: From a welcoming outdoor porch to an innovative new flex room that easily transforms from additional breakfast space to meeting and event space, the new prototype offers versatile spaces that can create additional revenue opportunities.
Flexible and fresh design: Backed by extensive consumer research and developer feedback, the Rise & Shine design package comes in three color schemes, allowing developers to customize their choice to fit the needs of their local market. They include:
- City – bold yet approachable with rich wood tones and an energized color palette
- Sea – calm and soothing with muted colors and light wood tones
- Sun – vibrant and cheerful with a relaxed yet optimistic feel
Peppers said Choice is providing developers with the cost efficiency they expect, along with the flexibility they want with this new prototype. He said savings from lowering the construction costs for owners allowed Choice to make a larger impact with guest-facing FF&E upgrades, and cost per key is estimated to be lower than direct competitors in the segment. “The Rise & Shine prototype is cost neutral compared to the previous Comfort prototype, as we were able to reduce square footage while upgrading finishes and design to offer an enhanced product,” he said. “Our guest rooms remain among the larger offerings in the upper midscale segment.”
The flagship Comfort brand has more than 1,600 hotels in the U.S. and a pipeline of nearly 300 properties, about 80% of which are new construction.
Kayak, Life House partner
Travel search engine Kayak in April opened its first branded hotel, the Kayak Miami Beach. It rebranded the former Life House property, which has been closed due to COVID-19 for about a year. Life House continues to manage the 52-room hotel as part of a partnership with Kayak.
According to Kayak CEO Steve Hafner, Kayak is looking for other properties, from Los Angeles to Berlin, for future hotel locations. The company, part of online travel giant Booking Holdings, is also exploring a location in the Boston area to offer short-term rental accommodation.
Kayak will use the Miami Beach property as a design lab to test and refine software innovations in the accommodation space.
For starters, the Kayak app will provide 24/7 access to hotel staff and support, notifications of on-property events, room-ready alerts, housekeeping requests and more. The tech amenities are designed to make stays ultra-personalized and with as much (or as little) human interaction as guests prefer. Kiosks in the lobby, for example, will provide an expedited check-in experience (with a goal of a 60 second check-in) or guests can use their Kayak app.
In-room connected TVs will offer unique on-demand content, including yoga classes by local favorite Green Monkey Yoga, in addition to access to streaming services for movies, TV shows, and music. Scannable QR codes will allow guests to contact house managers as well as view a digital guestbook with hotel details and recommendations of things to do during their stay.
Meanwhile, the hotel’s back-end software being developed in partnership with Life House can also help independent hotels leverage the Kayak app and capitalize on the latest advances to help make property management seamless, such as cloud-based property management systems, wireless lock and access controls and sophisticated distribution channel management.
“Collaborating with Kayak accelerates our mission to make travel more meaningful and accessible for a wide array of discerning travelers,” said Rami Zeidan, founder and CEO of Life House. “Together with Kayak we’re able to create a perfect hotel experience for modern travelers who are seeking locally-rooted, intuitive hotel experiences at accessible prices.”