Owner hotel group to open pod hotel in Hull

Buy-to-let hotel company Owner Hotels will open its first pod-style hotel in Hull city centre next year, Caterer has learnt.

The company, which currently operates two buy-to-let four-star hotels, in Hull and York, said the 36-bedroom hotel will reflect Birmingham's Nitenite and Yotel's Japanese cabin-style rooms, with four-star amenities such as plasma screens, iPod docking stations and air conditioning.

The hotel, which is due to open in January, will retail rooms at around £49,950, and a night's stay will cost between £48 and £60.

Chief executive Andy Woodcock said the company would continue to open pod-style hotels in towns and cities where it had already achieved success with larger properties.

"We're going to suck it and see," he told Caterer. "Our model is to open a four-star hotel in a new venue first, and that way scope out the city then see if a pod-style hotel would be suitable as well. In Hull, our two properties will be 200 yards apart, and this will make it easy for the manager, Thierry Brochard, to oversee both properties."

The move comes just weeks after buy-to-let pioneer GuestInvest entered administration, but Woodcock insisted that the news would not impact Owner's plans. "I was envious of the buy-to-let opportunities in London before, but now I've realised that the model can't work in London," he said. "Property prices and construction costs are too high - it just can't work."

Hotel buy-to-let model is under threat as GuestInvest fails >>

Buy-to-let firm GuestInvest goes into administration >>

Skelwith Group plans £100m luxury hotel >>

Buy-to-let market - room for more? >>

By Gemma Sharkey

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