CitizenM eyes UK in European expansion plan

The design-led budget hotel brand CitizenM is planning a European expansion, including several sites in the UK, Caterer has learnt.

The Dutch-owned company, which aims to bridge the divide between low-end budget chains and full-service brands, operates a hotel at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, with plans to open a second hotel early next year in Amsterdam's city centre.

Michael Levie, managing director of CitizenM, said the group planned to open up to 20 hotels across Europe in the next five years. It's looking at sites in leading European cities including London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester, Barcelona, Berlin, Prague, Paris, Milan and Moscow.

"We're planning to expand to Glasgow, which opens in 2010, build two in London and one in Berlin," said Levie. "We're in negotiations, but realistically I'd say we have the pipeline filled for another three to four this year."

CitizenM also plans to roll out in other continents in the future, through regional partnerships in specific markets such as India, China, Australia, Asia-Pacific, South-east Asia, the Middle East, North America and Latin America.

The company keeps construction costs down by using a modular building method to construct its hotels, prefabricating them in its own production facility.

The units are then transported to the building site, where they're assembled to create the hotel.

By Gemma Sharkey

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