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2019 is set to be another ambition fuelled year for The Parklane Group as building works at three developments, across the North of England, continue to progress.

Here’s how things are getting on…

Gravity, IconInc Lincoln

Work has progressed quickly throughout recent months in Lincoln. The ground beams, pile caps, bolt boxes and below ground drainage are all complete. And the steel frame on top is progressing quickly now, forming the main structure of the building.

Some external and internal walls have been retained from the former school house, and at present a new steel frame is being built up behind that. Inside the school house area joiners are also working on laying timber floors.

Internally, and when finished, this build will be the most progressive of all the IconInc developments. Features from the original buildings will add a further sophistication, there will be an emphasis on wellbeing with indoor green spaces and a wellbeing suite, and a communal mezzanine level will also include shipping container style study pods.

Roomzzz Newcastle City extension

The Cross-laminated timber structure (which acts like a skeleton for the building) is now completely installed and, as a result, attention has turned to the envelope of the building. Over the coming months, with the 525 m2 super-structure in place and windows installed, Broadley will be working on the brickwork and roof coverings.

Work has also begun on the interior of the extension, electrics are being installed, floorings are being laid, and plaster is being applied to the walls. The interior décor of each apartment will include stylish herringbone parquet flooring, mood lighting highlighting split level ceilings, and a striking graphic headboard feature wall behind the bed.

2,200 man hours have been spent on the development to date.

Roomzzz York

The Roomzzz aparthotel in York is really taking shape now. The Cross-laminated timber frame is due to be completed by the end of January. Currently there’s just the third floor of the larger wing, and the mezzanine rooms above, yet to construct. Brickwork is going up fast and 60 percent of the windows have been installed.

Inside the build things are moving quickly as the empty timber boxes of the super-structure are transformed into final room layouts. Next wooden herringbone floors will be laid, first fix electrics will be installed and walls will be skimmed with plaster.

Broadley have put a staggering, 70,000 man hours into the project so far and it’s clear to see that all of their hard work is paying off. Watch a time-lapse of the work, which began last January, below:

 

See how far the builds have come over the last few months by reading our last update, here.

Struggling to beat the bulge? Business travel could be to blame, with over a third of UK workers who travel regularly claiming healthy eating goes out of the window.

Whether it’s grabbing a pastry between morning meetings or sitting down to a three-course meal with clients, business travel spells bad news for the usual healthy eating habits of UK workers, according to new research by Roomzzz, the Parklane Group’s aparthotel brand.

The recent study of 1,000 UK workers, who regularly travel with their job, claimed that it was their diet that was worse hit when away from home. In fact 36 percent of respondents believed it was the aspect that suffered the most during time away. Disruptions to sleep patterns come in close second, with 33 percent of those questioned saying a really comfortable bed was at the top of their wish list when it comes to choosing a room for the night.

Extra snacks and blow-out meals quickly rack up the calories, 58 percent of the regular travellers questioned believed they easily consumed anywhere between 250 and a whopping 1500 extra calories each day, compared to a normal working day. That’s potentially 50 percent over the recommended daily calorie intake for men and women. Out of the 1,000 respondents questioned, it was North West workers who admitted splurging the most during business trips.

Naveen Ahmed, Managing Director at Roomzzz says:

“Travelling with work can mean a major disruption to your usual daily routine. Staying in a traditional hotel often means that you are often forced to eat out and have a lonely table for one, when all you want to do is get a take-away or prepare a healthy, home-cooked meal, put on your PJs and enjoy some down time in the comfort of your own room.

At Roomzzz we encourage our guests to use the room as they would their own home; we offer a kitchen and living area as standard, giving guests the space to spread out and relax and certainly no need to sneak food or drink into our properties! So many of our guests tell us they love the space and additional living areas, which means they don’t have to work ‘in bed’ with their laptops on their laps, which allows them to keep a bit of normality while away, whether that’s preparing their own meals, doing some yoga in the living area or simply chilling out on the sofa after a hectic day.”

Jo Cox, a frequent traveller says about her time staying in hotels:

“I used to stay away about three nights a week in hotels up and down the country and I would crave simple foods. It got so bad that one night I went down to the kitchen with a tin of beans and some bread and asked them to cook me some beans on toast! I was so fed up of eating out on my own or having the same choices from the room service menu.”

Naveen adds:

“Business travel is tiring – for the mind and body, so it’s not surprising that those questioned ranked a super comfy bed as an important feature of their room. We pride ourselves on offering the best beds in the market…so much so our guests often ask us where they can buy one for their own home!”

Roomzzz is revolutionising business travel, one city at a time. There are currently nine aparthotels within the Roomzzz portfolio and the brand has ambitious growth plans in 2019 with further developments in the pipeline for Edinburgh, Harrogate and York.

Leeds-based aparthotel brand Roomzzz, part of The Parklane Group, has picked up the coveted Serviced Apartment Marketing Award at the 2018 ASAP Serviced Apartment Industry Awards.

Judged by a panel of industry experts, Roomzzz beat off tough competition to win the award. The brand was recognised for the exciting new identity, recently launched by the team, which aimed to elevate Roomzzz from price focussed to experience focussed. The rebrand allowed Roomzzz to create a really distinctive tone of voice and brand identity which is unique, individual, memorable and evocative.

The ASAP Serviced Apartment Industry Awards

The awards are in their sixth year, 2018 being a record year with entries coming from more than 19 countries. The aim of the awards is to recognise excellence, innovation and best practice at individual, team and company level throughout the growing serviced apartment industry.

The winners were announced at a glitzy awards ceremony held at etc venues, 155 Bishopsgate London, on Thursday 6th December. Comedian and compere, Ian Irving presented the 12 awards.

Robert Alley, Chief Operating Officer at Roomzzz, commented:

“The team has put a huge amount of effort in developing the brand story and brand identity of Roomzzz, so it’s fantastic for this to be recognised by industry figures. It’s been an exciting year for Roomzzz, with the launch of two new aparthotels in Manchester’s iconic Corn Exchange and London Stratford; we’re very much looking forward to moving into 2019 with this prestigious award under our belt.”

 

Andy Durma, General Manager at Roomzzz Newcastle City was also recognised at the awards, winning Highly Commended in the Rising Star Award category. Anyone who has stayed at the Newcastle aparthotel will wholeheartedly agree that this recognition is well deserved, Andy goes above and beyond.

Andy said, “I’m humbled by the award and very proud to be part of such an amazing team. I’ll continue to lead my team to deliver the greatest guest experience around.”

2019 is set to be another exciting year for the Roomzzz brand with a new development opening in York and an expansion at the Newcastle City aparthotel. Find out more, here.

The Parklane Group are due to open three new developments during 2019. Luxury student accommodation brand, IconInc, will continue to expand with a new location in Lincoln, Roomzzz Newcastle City will benefit from an extension, and the group are set to open their tenth Roomzzz aparthotel, in the historic city of York.

With work now well underway at all three sites, read on for an update about how the builds are progressing.

IconInc Lincoln

A team of 16, from Broadley, have been working tirelessly since January to demolish three existing structures which once stood on the site – that of an old school, a parish hall and a coffee warehouse. The deconstruction was especially challenging as three important facades of these old buildings, are to be maintained and incorporated into the new structure.

Following the clearing of the site, a reduced level dig for archaeology was completed, before work on the foundations commenced. The building will sit on pile foundations (these foundations are deeper than usual and are used for extra strength) so a pile mat platform was then created for the huge piling rigs to travel around the site on.

The piling works are now complete and sub-structure works are beginning with pile caps (thick concrete mats) and concrete ground beams being cast. A vast 900m3 of concrete will be used for the foundations in total – that’s 82 concrete mixers full. Below ground drainage has also been installed.

Roomzzz Newcastle City

Works began in November 2017 to extend the aparthotel in Newcastle city centre. And Broadley are currently working to erect the Cross-laminated timber structure, having completed two of the six floors now. This method makes for a quick build and is more environmentally-friendly than other building methods due to the use of the renewable materials.

The city centre location has created challenges for the team of sixteen so far as space is tight on the site. There is also only one road which allows access to the site so it’s been difficult delivering materials and manoeuvring machinery.

Prior to the timber works, piling works have been completed using a 32m jib, and 200 tonnes of concrete foundations have been laid. 80,000 bricks have been ordered to complete the exterior of the building. The extension will create 74 new apartments, and facilities such as a lounge and coffee zone, which the aparthotel currently lacks.

Roomzzz York

It’s no secret that York is prone to flooding so care has been taken to minimise the risk every step of the way at the newest Roomzzz development. The main areas of the aparthotel are being built four meters above ground level and the existing flood defences on the site have now been reinforced with concrete too. The reinforcement proved difficult for the Broadley team as they worked around the current defences, to avoid disturbance.

All ground works and the concrete structure are now finished, and the Cross-laminated timber frame is in progress. The frame for the smaller wing of the building is all in place at this point so, for the first time, we can see the apartments taking shape. Not only is this non-traditional timber construction technique quick, it’s also considered a safer way to build with wood.

Roomzzz York will consist of 97 apartments, a gym and a café/deli. The build promises to be the most picturesque Roomzzz location yet.

 

Are you intrigued? Take a look at the IconInc and Roomzzz websites to find out more about our current locations.