UK-based hotel chain Yotel will take over operation of the Liaison Capitol Hill hotel in Washington DC, saying it will begin a “full transformation and rebranding” of the property.
Yotel said the 343-room hotel near the US Capitol building would get new multi-functional public spaces, including co-working and private meeting spaces.
Yotel calls its rooms ‘cabins’ and says they will feature space-saving elements like ‘smart beds’ that can be turned into a sofa by pressing a button.
The hotel currently features a rooftop pool with sun loungers, a 24-hour gym and American South-style restaurant Art and Soul, which will continue to run.
“Our rapid global expansion is very exciting and further asserts our prominence in the US and on the world stage,” said Hubert Viriot, CEO of YOTEL.
“We have a proven track record operating globally with hotels in many of the key feeder markets to Washington – Boston, New York, San Francisco and Europe. Expanding our portfolio of hotels in the US also allows for better economies of scale by running operations more efficiently and maximising cross-selling opportunities between all our properties,” Viriot continued.
The property was acquired by real estate investors Metrovest Equities and BLDG Management.
“As a forward thinking and fresh brand, we are confident that Yotel is the ideal partner for the repositioning of the Liaison Washington Capitol Hill and are committed to a long-term investment in the nation’s capital,” said Brandon Tarpey, Managing Director at Metrovest Equities.
Yotel initially launched as a budget airport capsule hotel in 2007, and expanded into city centre properties with a New York opening in 2011.
It now positions itself as ‘affordable luxury’ and has three brands – Yotel, with city centre properties for short stays; Yotel Air, located at airports and transport hubs; and Yotel Pad, a planned long-stay concept.
Yotel Air can be found at Heathrow, Gatwick, Amsterdam Schipol and Paris Charles de Gaulle, with properties upcoming at Istanbul’s new airport and Singapore Changi.
Yotel has five US city centre hotels and several more in development, including a second New York hotel scheduled to open on Long Island in 2020.
