Native Places, the UK’s leading lifestyle aparthotel brand, has announced ambitious growth plans with the opening of five new hotels in the
next two years as part of its committed 2025 vision.
The expansion of operations will see Native Places open an additional property in London, bringing the total to four designer aparthotels in the capital city. New destinations within the UK are also on the horizon and planned openings are being considered in Birmingham, Cambridge, Cardiff and Oxford.
Native’s current portfolio includes six properties in London, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh. In Q4 2023, Native will launch its seventh aparthotel and fourth London property in one of the capital’s most historic locations. The location of the King’s Wardrobe, once a storeroom for the King’s state and ceremonial robes, will be renamed Native St Paul’s.
The ambitious vision of 2025 follows a successful year for the Challenger brand you saw revenue 4% more than anticipated in 2022, with a 24.2% increase in direct bookings from 2021. Building on these successes, Native also saw an increase in average length of stay in 2022 of 1.5 days to 2.5-3 days, highlighting the need and desire for extended stays.
Olivia Immesi, Managing Director of Native Places, comments: “This is a very exciting time for Native Places as we expand our operations across the UK. The future of serviced apartments around the world, and particularly in the UK, is significant. We are seeing pent-up demand for extended stays and our mission is to provide travelers with a more integrated home experience that offers freedom and flexibility when our guests are traveling for work or hoping to relax in a larger space, during a long-term stay.”
Native Places’ core vision is to increase its commitment to sustainability, with each site needing to align with the company’s dedicated program of practical ESG initiatives, including prioritizing the sustainability and environmental longevity of each building. Native Places is working towards the goal of becoming a publicly traded B-Corp company as it consciously works to reduce its carbon emissions and build a green brand within the extended-stay industry.
Naturally, staying in a aparthotel it uses less energy, and Native’s mission is to further reduce its carbon footprint by making sustainable considerations at every point of guest interaction. From working towards a BREEAM accreditation, the world’s leading sustainability assessment method for buildings, for all its apart-hotels and using energy providers based on their efficiency rating, to using green providers with a community spirit. Native also recognizes the big impact of small changes and seeks innovative ways to drive sustainability into every apartment home, including using Miter Eco fill in its pillows, made from recycled plastic bottles, and recycled rugs with backings made from old plastic.
As part of Native’s expansion strategy, they aim to discover unique properties on the market that offer something unique. Eschewing the cookie-cutter approach, Native ensures its properties maintain their identity as part of their carefully considered rebranding.
“We want to give our guests a story worth sharing, whether it’s about historic architecture, interesting design, or a fascinating local community; We believe the best stories are found in the people and places we meet and experience. That’s why for every Native property, we celebrate the building’s heritage and encourage our guests to live like a local and meet the creatives at the heart of the community,” says Immesi.
Committed to bringing people together, Native Place’s mission is to be a fixture of the local community by connecting guests to each of the property’s neighborhoods by offering eco-friendly alternatives, original brand connections and interactive resident events. Inclusive in its programming, Native supports and celebrates all communities and offers a constant series of events at all of its properties. This has included organizing Manchester Pride in collaboration with celebrity Gok Wan, connecting artists with his artist-in-residence series, as well as supporting and promoting local businesses through his neighborhood heroes.
Providing designer apartments with the flexibility and space to entertain friends and family, all of which come with fully equipped kitchens, makes staying in a Native Places apartment a more cost-effective way to experience a city. All Native Place apartments have a living room, kitchen, bedroom and work area; equipped with everything necessary for the maximum comfort and enjoyment of the guest, whatever the reason for their stay.
Native Places also creates dynamic spaces in which to welcome local residents. The Counter at Native Edinburgh is an eclectic bar that hosts curated events and drinks, and the Mini Cini at Native Manchester is a 36-seat cinema showing cult classics, romantic comedies and children’s films and is recognized as the first dog-friendly cinema. .
As part of its expansion plans, Native Places is also focusing on adding significant value to its fast-growing portfolio of serviced apartments by developing convenient and experiential F&B concepts to accommodate its guests’ evolving consumption habits. This follows the company’s successful performance for F&B in 2022, achieving 12% above budgeted revenue.
Immesi comments: “Looking to the future we are investing more to boost the worth of a stay with us to attract the new generation of guests. It is imperative that hotel and serviced apartment brands adapt and engage guests with F&B concepts that offer comfort and experience, especially in response to the rise of food ordering apps.”
Earlier this year, Native Places launched ‘Brekkie in a Bag’, a breakfast initiative where each guest receives a breakfast in a bag filled with freshly baked pastries, juice and fruit, sourced from sustainable UK suppliers, each day of your stay. delivered to your aparthotel room or picked up at reception at no additional cost. The launch followed a partnership with award-winning chef and food writer, Thomasina Miers OBE, who created three sustainable recipes exclusively for Native Place guests; designed to inspire guests to cook and make use of its fully equipped kitchen during their stay in the apartment.
With the extended stay market building positive momentum, Native Places will continue to pave the way as the leading lifestyle aparthotel brand as it expands across the UK with its commitment to providing accommodation for people looking for flexible spaces. and fully operational when they travel.
