whose first UK property opened last year in London’s Leicester Square. Aloft has many similar design- led characteristics (high ceilings and platform beds, for example) that typify the style of W hotels. Initially targeted at young urban professionals, Aloft is now trying “to appeal to anyone with a young mindset, be they 25 or 45”, according to Starwood senior vice-president Brian McGuiness. More mid-scale Alofts are planned in London and regional cities, in locations close to convention centres or airports, as well as urban neighbourhoods.
TRADING UP AND DOWN The appeal of such stylish mid-market hotels is driven by demand, accord- ing to Ryan Johnson, land product manager at FCm Travel Solutions and Corporate Traveller. “Our corporate clients are looking for something a bit different in terms of style, something less bland and formal than a room in a large hotel chain at the other end of the scale,” he says. “I believe we are seeing not only a slight downtrade by clients in price terms towards these mid-market properties from four- and five-star hotels, but also more excite- ment in the market which is making other clients upgrade from a budget hotel to a ‘boutique’ mid-market property which is still within their company travel policy.”
the total number of Mercure hotels here to 68, bringing more of the mid-scale properties into prime city locations including London, Leeds and Manchester. Franchising, rather than ownership, is increasingly the way forward for growth in the mid-market sector. US franchisor Wyndham Worldwide (former brand owner of the Ramada Jarvis hotels, now converted to Mercure) is rolling out its mid-scale brand Ramada Encore in the UK. So
far it has 16 examples of the brand in the UK – the latest opening was last November in Leicester – and has plans for at least two more this year. Even though positioned in the mid- market, Encore offers wooden floors in bedrooms and a central restaurant, lounge, bar and meeting area, called The Hub. Style also typifies Starwood’s
approach to the mid-market via its newish brand Aloft, which saw the first UK property open last autumn at the Excel exhibition centre in Docklands. Aloft is positioned below Starwood’s hip designer brand W,
Aloft is perhaps the most extreme example of how the mid-market has radically changed in recent years. The mid-market sector in the UK – and Europe as a whole – has traditionally been dominated by independent, unbranded, non-chain hotels. Accor UK chief operating officer Jean- Jacques Dessors has noted that “less than 30 per cent of the UK mid- market sector is branded, compared with 43 per cent of the market as a whole, leaving plenty of scope for expansion in this sector”.
But without a recognisable brand name, or the benefits of distribution through a chain, many mid-market hotels have struggled. This can be partially countered by belonging to a marketing group, such as Best Western, but independent hoteliers still often lack the
resources to undertake much-needed refurbishment and investment in their properties. It has been estimated by veteran hospitality consultant