First came the poshtel, then the aparthotel. Now, travellers are preparing for the next big trend in getting away – the hometel. Hometels combine the best bits of a hotel and staying at home and the UK’s first one is set to open in Southampton this June courtesy of room2. The company says there’s a huge gap in the market and that people want a much more flexible approach to staying away now than they did in the past.
‘Aparthotel’ simply describes an accommodation and service type based on the words ‘apartment’ (a type of building) and hotel (a set of services). But Hometels are different. A home isn’t a building, it’s a feeling. It’s a set of rules you and your family create and live by. And it’s different for everyone. Hometels are flexible living environments that don’t force you to conform to a set of rules. It’s somewhere you can treat as your own. Somewhere with all the best bits of home, but with the services and security a hotel gives you.
Filling the gap between Airbnbs and hotels
Founder and managing director Robert Godwin explains: “Speaking to guests we discovered they were finding it hard to live their life the way they do at home when they stay in hotels. For example, we had business people saying they lost their healthy routines every time they stayed in a hotel because they couldn’t cook their own meals. At the same time parents were telling us that standard hotels make it difficult for their families to socialise and keep the children’s bedtime routines.
“room2 is our solution to all of those problems. It bridges the gap between an Airbnb and a hotel. You have your living room and kitchen space but you also have the peace of mind of hotel-level security and cleanliness. For families, our Southampton property even has rooms with split level mezzanine floors so the kids have somewhere to play and sleep within the safety of the room itself.”
Bookings now live
Bookings have just gone live for Room2’s brand new hometel in Southampton, which is due to open its doors in June. Among its features are:
- 71 rooms, which all come with their own kitchen, TV, comfy bed, seating area, bathroom, USB chargers, free Wi-Fi and hairdryers
- A selection of split level mezzanine bedrooms – perfect for families
- Coffee bar
- Pantry style shop selling ingredients and food that guests can cook in their rooms
- Gym and workout space
- Bar selling a range of beers, wines and spirits
- Laundry facilities
- Flexible communal space for working and socialising known as ‘The Living Room’
Robert says: “It’s elements like this that make our ‘hometels’ completely different to aparthotels or anything else out there. Our ambition is to be the brand that creates and leads the hometel category in the UK and we’re perfectly positioned to do that. We’re young, independent and dynamic, which means we can move fast to fill this void in the market.”
Find out more at www.room2.com
