Category: Roomzzz

Roomzzz has been granted planning permission to expand its growing portfolio of state of the art aparthotels into York with a brand-new location planned to open in 2019.

Featuring 97 luxury apartments, Roomzzz York will give guests the comfort of a boutique hotel with the convenience of a serviced apartment in this unique waterfront location in the heart of York City Centre. The four-storey, £20million development will begin construction mid-2017 and will create an estimated 20 new jobs across all levels, from porters to managers, and cleaners to concierge.

Naveen Ahmed, Managin Director of Roomzzz Aparthotels, said: “We are delighted that after months of hard work by the contractors and the planners, we’re finally underway with the project to bring Roomzzz to York – a vibrant destination city and fits perfectly into the Roomzzz family. The Riverside location is incredible and our exquisite apartments and suites, which provide guests with more space and freedom, will be the perfect location for our wide range of clientele looking to experience all York has to offer.”

After trading successfully in Manchester for several years, Roomzzz has opened up a second site in the iconic Grade II listed Manchester Corn Exchange.

The 114 beautifully designed apartments come in all shapes and sizes, embracing the quirks and history of the landmark building. Along with spectacular ceiling heights, the focal point is the striking staircase, surrounded by the original tiles, some of which were cracked and damaged by the 1996 bombing – these remain untouched to act as a reminder of the building’s heritage.

Along with introducing their first gym to the site, Roomzzz commissioned colourful, quirky illustrations from celebrated artist, Katie Edwards, to educate their guests on Manchester culture.

A Challenging 18 Month Project

Almost impossible access conditions forced contractors, ISG to think outside the box on a complex refurbishment of a bomb-damaged listed building in Manchester. Their only access point was through a window that’s three storeys up, 1.2 m wide and barely 1.7 m high. All materials had to come in and out that way – plasterboard, beds, gym equipment, every piece of steel, every pipe and every door!

The project began with a drone survey of the roof before work got under way on site. That drone footage threw up a number of potential problems that had to be tackled early in the project – particularly because there was incredibly limited access to the roof, which includes a large glass dome.

A Manchester Landmark

The first Corn Exchange was built on the site in 1837, but was subsequently torn down and replaced by the current building, which was built in two sections between 1897 and 1903.

It suffered extensive damage in the IRA bombing of 1996, which destroyed a swathe of the city centre: the building, which is just a stone’s throw from the bomb site on Corporation Street, had all of its windows destroyed and suffered significant structural damage.

Since then, it has had a number of varying incarnations, ranging from a market to a shopping centre, before being refurbished again in 2015 to host a range of restaurants and bars.

However, the top floors remained largely unoccupied, giving Roomzzz the perfect opportunity to fit out a new aparthotel.

Forget sun, sea and family friendly holidays…a third of British parents want their holidays to shine on their social media feeds.

Social media has changed the way we communicate, share and consume news, and now it’s influencing the way we holiday and enjoy short breaks, according to new research by Roomzzz. The study of 2000 parents showed that parents are choosing holiday and short break destinations based on how good they will look on their social media feeds.

Location and time with loved ones is key

33 percent of the parents questioned admitted to picking their holiday destination based on how good it would look on social media. And it was even more essential to Londoners with a whopping 71 percent agreeing that this was one of the most important factors when choosing a holiday destination.

Who we choose to holiday with is changing too, with almost a third of people admitting to now travelling with extended family and friends. Londoners again magnified this trend with 56 percent of them saying they holiday with grandparents and friends.

 

Don’t despair, although we might like to keep up with the Jones’ on our social media feeds, it seems our hearts are in the right place when it comes to why we take our families away. Having a ‘break from the norm’, ‘creating lasting memories’, ‘strengthening family bonds’ and ‘giving them a cultural experience’ were all top answers too.

Interestingly it seems Scots are the most passionate about offering their children a cultural experience with more than 48 per cent of respondents choosing this as a reason they travel.

Psychologist Donna Dawson, says:

“The research shows that we want our choice of holiday destination to reflect well on us, by winning the approval of friends and acquaintances on social media. There is a competitive edge to social media where we vie with others to show how happy and successful we are – human nature relishes a little envy from others when it comes to making life choices, as that reinforces that our choices were good ones. However, we do realise that it’s all a game, and that the best holiday experiences actually come from sharing them with the people closest to us, our children and extended family. In the end, creating lasting memories and strengthening family bonds are more important to us.”

Naveen Ahmed, Managing Director at Roomzzz said:

“It seems it’s not just hipsters or gen z-ers who want to make sure their social feeds look on trend; parents and families are at it too! For us at Roomzzz, we are certainly seeing more and more extended families and friends travelling together. Our apartments offer families a perfect base to build a great short break. We have everything they need to maintain routines (if they need to) and offer their children space without feeling boxed in or cramped, compared to traditional hotel rooms. With many of our properties offering multiple bedroom apartments, we are also perfectly placed to accommodate larger and wider family units; offering parents a much-needed night/day off!”

Roomzzz, is set to expand into Scotland with a brand-new aparthotel confirmed within the £1bn Edinburgh St James development, scheduled to open in 2021.

The new Roomzzz Edinburgh aparthotel will take prime position within the 1.7 million sq ft Edinburgh St James development in the heart of the city. With 73 luxury apartments planned, from smart studios to luxury penthouses, Roomzzz Edinburgh will give guests the luxury of a boutique hotel with the convenience and home comforts of a serviced apartment.

The development will become Edinburgh’s most popular retail hub, with a line-up of 86 new shops over four floors, 20 restaurants and a flagship Everyman Cinema, guests to Roomzzz Edinburgh will benefit from unrivalled local amenities. The new aparthotel will be ideally situated within a close proximity of tram and bus transport links and just a short, three-minute walk from Waverley Station.

CEO of Roomzzz, Naveen Ahmed, explains; “Set to become the city’s hottest new retail destination and with excellent transport links, the Edinburgh St James development is the perfect location for the Roomzzz brand to launch its first aparthotel in Scotland. Our expansion into the Scottish capital is a significant milestone for Roomzzz as we look to grow our successful portfolio of luxurious aparthotels across the UK.”

Featuring a rooftop terrace and balconies to every apartment, guests will appreciate breath-taking views of the city’s historical landscape, including Edinburgh’s highest peak, Arthur’s Seat. Each apartment is individually designed to create a comfortable and spacious living area to give a home-from-home experience. Catering for everyday living, Roomzzz’ apartments feature fitted kitchens, widescreen TV, complimentary Wi-Fi, free UK nationwide calls, ultimate comfort bed, 24-hour concierge, around the clock fresh coffee and grab and go breakfast.

Mark Walton, Chief Operating Officer of Roomzzz, adds: “We were the first in the UK to launch the aparthotel concept back in 2006 in Leeds and the Roomzzz Aparthotel brand has experienced phenomenal growth ever since. We have aspirations to expand our offering throughout the UK and internationally, developing our existing aparthotel brand. In addition to our expansion into Scotland, we look forward to opening our first aparthotel in London later this year, as well as three additional sites planned for Liverpool, Manchester Corn Exchange and York.”

Roomzzz Aparthotels has appointed Christie & Co to spearhead their expansion plans and grow their portfolio of Aparthotels across the UK, with national law firm, Shoosmiths, handling legal proceedings.

Roomzzz Aparthotel in Nottingham has secured top spot for Customer Service in the LateRooms.com’s prestigious ‘Simply the Guest Awards’.

With the result of the Customer Service category purely based on genuine guest reviews, customers are happier with their experience at Nottingham Roomzzz than anywhere else in the UK.

Reviews can only be left by guests who have booked with LateRooms.com and completed their stay, meaning that over the past 12 months, Roomzzz Nottingham has consistently wowed the people who matter most: its guests.

Mark Walton, Chief Operating Officer of the brand, said: “At Roomzzz, guests are our number one priority and our staff are committed to ensuring that each and every guest has an exceptional experience when staying with us. We’re thrilled to have received the award and to be recognised for providing the highest quality customer service in the country. Customer reviews are highly influential and every customer’s opinion is important, so it’s brilliant to see that we’re rated as the best, by our guests themselves!”

LateRooms.com spokesperson Sandra Perkins comments: “Guest experience is a key measure to determine how well a hotel is meeting its guests’ needs and expectations. This truly is a testament to Roomzzz’s hospitality and dedication to making guests’ stays the very best. To be awarded as the UK’s best Customer Service hotel shows continued excellence and absolute dedication to the guest experience across a range of areas.”

The awards, now in its fifth year, are the UK’s only hotel awards based purely on genuine guest reviews. The annual awards uses guest reviews and ratings published on LateRooms.com to recognise and reward the highest standards in the hotel industry across a number of categories.

 

Aparthotel chain Roomzzz is to make its move into the London market with its new aparthotel in Stratford, scheduled to open in 2018.

With 98 luxury apartments available, from smart studios to luxury penthouses, Roomzzz London Stratford will give guests the comfort of a boutique hotel with the convenience of a serviced apartment and has been designed to provide all the comforts of home combined with all the space needed to truly relax and unwind.

Each apartment has been individually designed to create a spacious, well-planned living area. They’re fully-equipped for day-to-day living, with fitted kitchens, broadband and widescreen TV. London Stratford will also boast a state-of-the-art gym, coffee shop, meeting rooms, along with the unique attention to detail and unrivalled customer service guests are used to with Roomzzz.

Mark Walton, chief operating officer of the brand, commented: “As our first venture in London, the hotel’s opening is a major milestone for Roomzzz Aparthotels as a brand, raising our profile outside of the North of England and appealing to a new audience.

“We aim to build on the success of our existing aparthotels in Chester, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Nottingham, and continue to grow in this ever-popular market. As well as London Stratford, we have several other projects in the pipeline, with three additional sites planned for Liverpool, Manchester Corn Exchange and York.”

The Olympic Park & Westfield Shopping Centre are practically on the doorstep of the new aparthotel and Stratford Tube station is just a short stroll away. Whether looking for a place to relax and unwind, or the perfect base for a fun city break, Roomzzz London Stratford will be the perfect choice.

 

Roomzzz Aparthotels have exclusively appointed Christie & Co to spearhead their expansion plans and grow their portfolio of Aparthotels across London and the UK.

With seven Aparthotels operational and another six in the pipeline including Stratford London, which is due to open late 2017, the team are looking for conversion and new build opportunities as well as existing hotels or serviced apartments for redevelopment. Easy access to tube/overland/airport transport and close proximity to business, leisure and university hubs are sought after.

With a strong trading track record, Roomzzz will consider freehold or leasehold opportunities and are looking for situations capable of providing between 3,000 sq m to 10,000 sq m.

London locations are high priority, with key provincial cities including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, Bath, Southampton, Brighton, Canterbury, Cardiff, Belfast and Dublin also being targeted.

Jon Patrick, Head of Leisure & Development at Christie & Co, comments, “We have built a strong relationship with Roomzzz over a number of years and as a result are ideally positioned to provide the link with a wide variety of property owners, developers and advisors who will recognise Roomzzz’s ability to create value and provide a high quality hospitality offering. At Christie & Co we have seen the rise of alternative hospitality models and Aparthotels represent a growing platform as both business and leisure travellers are happy to move away from the conventional hotel format given the breadth of food and beverage provision within city centres and transport hubs these days.”

Naveen Ahmed, Managing Director of Roomzzz’s Leeds based parent company, Park Lane Properties added, “Roomzzz is a high quality product and operationally we are very particular about the level of customer experience enjoyed in our Aparthotels. The fact that Roomzzz features at or near the top of the TripAdvisor ratings throughout the portfolio demonstrates this commitment and the number of clients who return to us time and again is significant. With Christie & Co’s industry knowledge, understanding of our business and requirements as well as their contact base in the UK and further afield we are looking forward to growing the Roomzzz business into new locations.”