Sleeperz Hotels, the innovative UK budget hotel operator, is marking five years since it launched into the UK hospitality industry.
Sleeperz Hotel Cardiff opened for business opposite the Millennium Stadium in the Welsh Capital and was the UK’s original compact city centre lifestyle hotel. It offers a stylish urban living experience at budget prices.
Way ahead of the curve
Five years on from Sleeperz’ landmark Cardiff opening, the branded budget hotel sector has exploded. It is now the fastest growing in the UK hotel industry.
David Myers, chief executive Sleeperz Hotels, said: “When we opened Sleeperz Cardiff we were way ahead of the curve and setting a new trend in the industry.
“Our vision of affordable, stylish city centre lifestyle hotels, with a focus on interior design and sophisticated architecture, has proved a marker for the development in UK hotels during Britain’s ‘double-dip recession.
“As a small, independent hotel start-up we were brave in creating a new product category, but, five years on there are many new entrants and brands who have been influenced by our vision for modern hotels.”
Expansion and innovation
Sleeperz Hotels followed its Cardiff Hotel with a city centre opening in Newcastle in January 2012 and then by introducing a new sister brand of limited service budget hotels called Cityroomz – with a first opening off Edinburgh’s Princes Street – in May 2013.
Sleeperz operating model has involved the transformation of awkward and unusual shaped pieces of land into desirable and visually impressive hotels near mainline railway stations in major cities.
The benefit of these hotel developments has been to provide unrivalled convenience of location and a distinct style and design ethos for leisure and business travellers.
“The ‘budget boutique’ segment is the future, full of innovation and excitement and Sleeperz plans to be a key player,” said Myers.
Sleeperz Hotels are in advanced discussions for hotels in Manchester, Glasgow, London and Edinburgh with the aim of five hotels by 2015.
Budget Boom
According to PriceWaterhouseCooper (PWC), another 200 hotels and 20,000 rooms will open in the UK in 2013 to 2014 – and more than half of these will be in the budget hotel sector – and the majority will be branded.
Limited service offerings and technology friendly budget boutique hotels are giving consumers everything they need for far less than they’d pay in a traditional full service mid-market four star hotel.
Sleeperz has invested heavily in high quality fixtures and fittings, including Villeroy and Boch sanitary ware, Grohe showers, laptop safes, floating shelving and is now investing in custom made mattresses.
It was also one of the first budget hotels to offer free and fast wi-fi to guests.
Since opening for business Sleeperz Hotels has won a string of awards, including two RIBA awards for architectural excellence from The Royal Institute of British Architects, for Cardiff (2010) and Newcastle (2012), and recognition from LateRooms.com as one of Britain’s Top-10 Family Friendly Hotels.
Both Sleeperz Cardiff and Newcastle have won TripAdvisor Certificates of Excellence for each year they have been in business, putting them in the top 10 per cent of all hotels worldwide rated by members of the travel review website.
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