BYÂ RAYNAHÂ COUTINHO
At this year’s International Hotel and Investment Forum (IHIF) in Berlin, yoo Hotels unveiled two intricately crafted design-led hotel brands: yoo2 and yoo Collection. yoo, the global design company founded by international property entrepreneur John Hitchcox and renowned designer Philippe Starck, has now marked its entry into hospitality
In India, yoo is most recognised for its design of high-end residences. They’ve been in the business for over 14 years and have been brought to fruition the visions of Creative Directors; Anouska Hempel, Philippe Starck, Marcel Wanders, Jade Jagger and Kelly Hoppen.
Zooming into the hotel story, Nijhof has previously worked with brands like Corinthia Hotels, Boscolo Hotels, Hyatt International, Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts and Marriott, joining Neues Schloss Hotel Management GmbH in Germany. yoo takes great pride in the fact that him and his hotel management team have a combined 107 years of experience in hotel management, leasing, franchising, and operations. Together, they have transacted a combined £15 billion in single asset, portfolio and hotel opportunities.
Which trends in international design will your new hotels incorporate and which will they reject?
At yoo Hotels we try not to follow design trends, and instead approach our hotels with an understanding of guest’s needs and good design. We like to think that if design is good enough to outlast time, then it’s not a trend. Whatever we do with design, we like to lead and make a statement of design with the hotel, which sets the hotel apart from the rest. We like to think of ourselves as design leaders, not followers.
We are aware that people want to have local and authentic experiences; and they want to know where they are when they wake up. We can see this desire resonate across the globe, and how in this time of hyper connectedness, we want to be sure our experiences are real. This is intrinsic to the yoo Hotels DNA, which is why we consciously infuse local flavour in our spaces. At yoo we believe in conscious living, of knowing where you are in the world, and this carries through to yoo Hotels.
Tell us about the concept of Human Luxury that you advocate.
We’ve been creating design-led residential spaces for over 12 years and it has given us a lot of understanding of the way people want to live in their spaces. This is what inspired the concept of Human Luxury. It means, we first think about human needs in a space: comfort, convenience and all of those added luxuries that people desire, consciously or subconsciously, in a hotel experience. We then meet those needs and desires in an uncompromising way, through every design and service element — the accessible luxury of yoo2 or the unabated five star luxury of yoo Collection. Human Luxury is different for every person, for some it’s the bed, for others it is about bathroom amenities or the shower. What we have tried to do with our design is cater to all of these different people at different time in their lives.
Gives us examples of how local and cultural elements will be represented. Why you decided not to go with the cookie-cutter brand approach that lends a certain brand promise and comfort to guests?
Whether a wall motif, a pattern in the floor tiles, a sculpture in the lobby by a local artist, or a tantalising menu item, the elements of local culture we’re inspired by, depend entirely on the location, and are revealed to us through a lot of research, on the ground, into the local context. Every destination is unique and in turn requires a unique design response.
We don’t believe in a cookie-cutter approach, but at that same time, we also bring a certain yoo Hotels vision to all our projects that is tried and tested. We don’t reinvent what we know works and what we know people want. Every project is a balance between what yoo Hotels stand for, designed in the spirit of the local culture.
Who is your target audience and how does your design tie in with its traits?
yoo2 is targeted at design-aware global citizens aged 20–45 years old. They’re design aware and seeking an original design-led experience at an affordable price. They are people who are willing to pay a little bit more for design because the affinity to design is there.
yoo Collection is targeted at high net-worth individuals, the demographic is slightly older, and we like to think of the target market as connoisseurs of hotel experiences and luxury. They have uncompressing standards in design and service. It’s a market we have designed for already with all of our residential designs in India.
We want the yoo Hotel bars to be local hotspots as well as great places for guests to relax. We design our spaces to be innovative, locally inspired and exciting. It means you get to experience the real city when you’re in the hotel, and this element of integration is really important to us, and sometimes the best way to do this is to partner with a cutting-edge brand that has the same approach to F&B as we do to design.
Are you looking for hotel owners to partner with in India? If yes, who among the people reading this should approach you? Do you have locations in mind? What benefit will they get from partnering with you versus a brand that travellers are already savvy with and used to?
We feel the market for design and boutique hotels is underdeveloped in India and we would be looking for investors who believe in and share our desire for design and identity, in order to roll out our yoo2 or yoo Collection hotel. We only have to look at the demand for our residential design and the success of our projects in Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore to demonstrate the appetite for our design in India.
Which existing brands will these hotels be comparable with?
With yoo2, we like to think that we’ve created a new category — which is purely a design-led affordable luxury. yoo Collection is our vision of unadulterated luxury, where unique design that is locally inspired and original is a priority. It’s an antidote to the world’s big five star hotels.
Budget hotels and design… too many people tend to get this wrong (particularly in India where brands complain that owners go OTT with sprucing up their projects) and then return on investment becomes a challenge? How do you get it right?
What we know and what we’ve proven with our clients around the world is that good design doesn’t always have to cost more. Our extensive experience in designing landmark residential homes has taught us how to create something unique within budget. Expensive materials and expensive and excessive furnishings don’t always equate to good design. For us, good design and great hotel experiences are achieved through a way of thinking about how individuals use a space and responding to that in an original and inspired way.
Give us details of the Aqua Boracay in the Philippines — rooms and public area design?
Aqua Boracay by yoo is the first yoo Collection managed hotel on the beautiful Island of Boracay in the Philippines. The furnishings and design from the yoo Studio are inspired by the nature of Boracay. I would love to tell you more about the amenities spaces, but all will be revealed when the project launches.
Being design geniuses, have you also come up with any back-of-house design concepts that could improve efficiency/work flow?
We believe in open integrated office spaces that focus on efficiency and communication, as an open space improves communication. If we have this improved communication, we are much better positioned to provide our customer with a better service. Open office spaces are conducive to an integrated approach to the customers, therefore catering to their needs and desires from all our operating departments, combined toether, becomes easier. The general manager in a yoo2 affordable luxury hotel, will not have their own office hidden in the back. The objective is to be totally immersed in the operation, thereby leading the hotel in a customer-focussed approach from the top
