New budget chain launches
by Caroline Wilkinson | 17 Jul 2008
Dutch hotel group citizenM has opened its first hotel at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and has announced plans to expand across Europe in the next five years.
The five-storey, 230-room hotel was designed by Dutch architects Concrete and electronics firm Philips, in collaboration with Switzerland-based furniture specialists Vitra.
For €69 (£54) a night guests can stay in one of the hotel's 14 sq m rooms, fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows, super king-size beds and a touch-screen mood pad, so customers can choose their lighting, temperature and music. As a special feature for returning guests, the room key will store their personalised room settings.
The concept for the hotel is tailored to a new breed of traveller who is value conscious, contemporary and tech savvy. A spokesperson for the company defines the type as "explorers, trekkers, professionals and shoppers. They travel a lot - both long and short haul. They are independent, share a respect for different cultures and are young at heart."
Michael Levie, CEO of citizenM hotel group, said: "We offer a new type of hotel experience for sophisticated travellers."
The second hotel in Amsterdam, near the Trade Centre, is due to open at the end of 2008, followed by another in Glasgow by 2010.
As part of the firm's roll-out strategy, 20 citizenM hotels will be developed in city locations such as London, Berlin, Barcelona, Paris, Milan, Moscow, Copenhagen and Stockholm over the next five years.
The firm is also developing plans for the Americas, Asia, Australia and the Middle-East.
As well as the guest rooms, citizenM hotels offer two communal living areas, one for business and one for casual travellers, with sofas and coffee tables. It also features canteenM, a 24-hour restaurant.
To cut construction costs, citizenM uses the Industrial Flexible Demountable (IFD) design concept - which means that all rooms are assembled offsite, along with everything from the flooring to the ceiling. Only the ground floor is constructed on site, ready for the rest to be stacked on top.
CitizenM's executive cohort includes Ratten Chadha, director of Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, Tom Bas, former member of the board of directors of NH Hotels and Golden Tulip, hotel specialist Jan Wulf Van Alkemade and Michael Levie - vice president of operations for Sonesta and NH Hotels.
Dutch hotel group citizenM has opened its first hotel at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and has announced plans to expand across Europe in the next five years. The five-storey, 230-room hotel was designed by Dutch architects Concrete and electronics firm Philips, in collaboration with Switzerland-based furniture specialists Vitra. For €69 (£54) a night guests can stay in one of the hotel's 14 sq m rooms, fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows, super
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