Bloc Hotels to open Japanese pod-style property in Birmingham

10 January 2011 by
Bloc Hotels to open Japanese pod-style property in Birmingham

A new group inspired by Japanese pod-style hotels is set to launch its first property in Birmingham this spring.

Bloc Hotels will open a 73-bedroom hotel in the Jewellery Quarter of the city and plans to develop a further 10 properties over the next three to five years.

Launched by Boxbuild, the hotels intend to provide guests with the ultimate stay-away experience at a highly competitive rate. Bloc Hotels, funded by private investors in Monaco, will aim to offer boutique-style bedrooms which - using an innovative build system - will allow the rooms to be quickly stacked and wrapped to complement the surrounding environment.

Each bedroom will offer the perfect sleeping environment, as advised by a Scandinavian sleep research centre, with the temperature set at 18-20°C and a humidity of 30-40%.

There will also be Italian tiled wet rooms and drench showers, 32in LED flat-screen TVs, super-fast Wi-Fi and integrated bag storage areas.

Danny Jones, director of Boxbuild, who is a former operator of bar and clubs, said that he and his colleagues were frustrated by an overpriced hotel market, believing that many were inefficient and badly designed.

"Our research showed that guests want high levels of comfort and premium-quality finishes at a reasonable price, and so that's the approach we've adopted," he said.

"We chose Birmingham because it's where the majority of the team hail from and, as a city, it's totally open to new concepts. Ultimately the plan is to roll out the Bloc concept to other prime urban locations that offer easy access to international airports. London and Manchester are both on our target list."

Prices of bedrooms will start at £60 per night.

Plans to open 20 plus pod-style Yotels in next two years >>

Owner hotel group to open pod hotel in Hull >>

Combining high-end design with affordable room rates >>

By Janet Harmer

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