Serviced apartment operator Frasers Hospitality has launched a new extended stay brand called Modena, with the first property open in Tianjin, China.
According to Frasers, the new brand is aimed at business travellers, with services geared towards short to mid-length stays for people who spend much of their time on the road.
The brand’s hallmark features, apart from the 'boutique hotel residence' strapline, will include a communal lobby with a delicatessen and grocery, a welcome box on arrival containing amenities, stationery and daily essentials, and the Soak Suites with private baths for guests
to relax, watch a DVD or listen to music.
Leisure facilities include the 24-hour Play Room, which provides a gym, electronic game machines and vending machines.
The 104-apartment property in Tianjin is the first of four residences to open over the next two years; one in Shanghai and two in Suzhou will follow. The flagship property is set for Singapore and expected to open in early 2012, with further openings in Asia and Europe in the pipeline.
Choe Peng Sum, chief executive of Frasers Hospitality, said: “The Modena brand has been carefully crafted to appeal specifically to a growing market niche, the work-hard, play-hard business traveller, the ‘road warrior’ who is perfectly in-tune with today’s high-tech, fast-moving business environment and demands efficiency of product and service to support his or her own demanding lifestyle.”
On choosing China for the launch of the brand, Choe Peng Sum said: “With the exceptional growth of the China economy, the India economy and indeed the rise of Asia as the new global powerhouse, it makes perfect sense to launch and grow the brand from this region.” He added: “However… our longer-term strategy is to create a truly global brand.”
Frasers Hospitality also launched a new property in Edinburgh under the Frasers Suites brand (see online news May 15) and loft-style accommodation in Singapore (see online news July 16).
Visit frasershospitality.com
Report by Sara Turner
