UK-based hotel chain Yotel will bring its new extended stay concept Yotelpad to Europe with three properties opening in Switzerland’s Lake Geneva region from 2020.
The three properties will be fifteen minutes from the Geneva and Lausanne city centres, in Plan-les-Ouates (118 keys), Etoy (212 keys) and Pregny-Chambésy (108 keys).
The serviced apartments will be up to 30 sqm and have ‘smart beds’ that can be turned into sofas by pushing a button, a kitchenette, bathroom and adaptable work and dining areas.
The properties will have public areas, 24-hour gyms and meeting and co-working spaces. They will also feature a Grab and Go food store and pay-as-you-go services such as housekeeping, laundry and transportation.
Yotel said there was nothing comparable in the region, where there is high demand for affordable, short-term lease options but limited housing. It also highlighted the high number of NGOs, multinational companies, universities and R&D centres.
Yotel CEO Hubert Viriot said: “The Lake Geneva region is a natural location to introduce Yotelpad to Europe.
“Centrally located and with an unusually high proportion of global organisations, the region is home to an exceptionally dynamic and mobile workforce and welcomes frequent international business travellers, visiting their headquarters or attending conferences.”
“Unsurprisingly, demand for affordable, short-term lease options is very high, yet housing stock is limited, and local tenancy laws typically require long term commitments. As a result, there is a high proportion of frustrated demand, either overpaying for residential accommodation or staying at traditional hotels in the Geneva and Lausanne city centres, miles from the business zones where MNCs and NGOs are typically located.
“Our Yotelpads will be located minutes from the actual demand, considerably cutting down on commuting hours on the A1 highway.”
The Yotelpad brand does not currently have any properties in operation, though has them under development in Dubai (opening Q4 2019), Miami (Q2 2020), Park City in Utah (Q3 2020) and Mammoth in South California (Q3 2021).
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, offering serviced apartments.
