The Growth of Residential Experiences in Extended-Stay
The expansion of the hospitality industry’s extended-stay sector over the recent years, highlights a growing trend of residential-influenced experiences in hotels. As telework and business travel increases in commonality, the rise of occupancies in extended-stay hotels showcases guests not only desire but prioritize comfort.
BRR is a leader in the extended-stay sector, dating back to 2016 with the development of the WoodSpring Suites brand. Since then, we’ve been involved in the design, documentation and rollout of new extended-stay brands like Hyatt Studios, Everhome Suites and LivAway Suites.
With Marriott and Hilton also entering the space with respective brands StudioRes and LivSmart, the market continues to look for opportunities to create spaces with comfortable amenities beyond a two-to-three-night stay in a transient property. A consistent component and trend seen in new brands is to create a residential inspired ‘home away from home’.
What Defines an Extended-Stay Brand?
Extended-stay brands are generally defined by two key components:
- Units feature a kitchenette which can include a fridge, cooktop and microwave.
- The average guest stay is three days or more.
These units blend a traditional hotel room with residential features to create a more comfortable and accommodating stay for guests. The inclusion of a kitchenette allows guests to utilize their space similar to an apartment. This feature provides guests the ability to cook and wash laundry with appliances either in-suite or within public amenity spaces. Residential furniture such as couches, lounge chairs and closets provide a comfortable environment with the resemblance of the features within one’s home.
Residential Design Trends in Interior Design
Sectors like hospitality, office and multifamily commercial developments have seen a growth in residential-inspired design over the past decade. The use of warm interior finish palettes and wood within many of these brands create a comfortable interior environment when compared to past trends of minimalist gray tones and neutral palettes. The inclusion of recreational spaces in offices, patterned furniture in multifamily amenity spaces and warmer interior palettes allude to the creation of extensions of our homes within the commercial spaces we occupy.
Extended-stay brands now implement residential in-unit features that provide guests with flexibility. For example, LivAway Suites, a new extended-stay brand by West 77 Partners, features kitchenette islands within guestrooms as a key feature of their brand identity. The island draws inspiration from the comfort of a home kitchen and allows guests the option to utilize the space as a counter extension, desk or dining table. This feature offers the flexibility of an apartment unit and maintains a minimal footprint to keep the cost per square foot low.
The inclusion of amenity features has become a staple in many brands in the midscale extended-stay market. Everhome Suites, a growing extended-stay brand by Choice Hotels, features an outdoor amenity patio with grills, firepits and a turf zone. Extending the public space outdoors provides flexibility in how guests interact and experience their stay in a hotel.
These outdoor spaces provide cost-effective solutions for large groups or families using the hotel to gather without requiring expansive non-revenue generating square footage. While the brand branches closer toward a midscale property, Everhome Suites has relayed the learnings and efficiency of WoodSpring Suites into Choice’s newest prototype.
Looking Forward
The extended-stay market is poised to grow well into the next decade with revenue projections estimated to increase from $18.33 billion in 2022 to $25 billion annually by 2027. This growth rate highlights the need guests have to experience the comfort and flexibility of home at a traditional hotel.
The extended-stay hotel sector is an avenue that BRR continues to pave. The firm’s mission to elevate the everyday focuses on a consistent and comfortable user experience and a continued innovation of a residentially influenced hospitality experience.