MONTH IN REVIEW
HOTEL CONCEPT OF THE MONTH | NITENITE
Hotel Concept of the Month : Nitenite
Turning an old car park into a hotel to maximise on city centre space was an idea originally conceived by Birmingham-based architect Neil Tibbatt . Since , the Nitenite brand has been acquired by Fiveways Hospitality and the second generation of the concept was opened in May . Managing director NIGEL ATKINSON speaks about where he plans to take the brand next
The Nitenite hotel was first established some 10 years ago , with the redevelopment of an old , unused carpark in Birmingham into a compact – yet luxury – hotel offering . With each room space at the original site measuring at a mere 7.8 square metres , Fiveways Hospitality launched the second generation with a larger dwelling space of 10.6 square metres three years after acquiring the company .
Gaining recognition as possibly the first windowless hotel in the UK , Fiveways Hospitality is hoping to sell the concept as a franchise and see the Nitenite brand spread far and wide across the country . Targeting city centres , Atkinson sees the Nitenite hotels as emulating a “ luxury yacht feel ”, where the focus is on the guest exploring their surroundings rather than spending their whole holiday in their hotel room . With 39 years in the hotel industry , Atkinson claims to have spotted a change in the way hotel rooms are used , saying : “ People are not using restaurants in hotels anymore , [ they ] want choice for where to eat and drink .” He adds , “[ They ] usually want an overnight stay or two , they ’ re not there for the hotel bedroom ; they ’ re there for the city break or business .”
Despite his prediction that people no longer want to spend the majority of their time in their hotel rooms , Atkinson ensures that this belief doesn ’ t have to strip guests of their travel essentials . Each Nitenite room has a double bed , 42-inch television , full electronic controls , lighting , heating , free Wi- Fi , desks and “ plenty of mirrors ”. Research has even gone into the room ’ s blow-drying station to check whether long-haired guests are able to get ready with ease and ample space . Each room also has an en-suite with the option of a fully glazed double rainwater shower or an accessible shower for the customers who require it .
Its design means that each site has roughly 35-40 % more room stock than a typical Premier Inn property and the hotel has no public or eating areas , as locations are perfectly sought out to make sure that food outlets are easily accessible and guests can fully experience the city they ’ re in . However , there are possible plans to create future properties with workspaces
– a potential capitalisation on the brand ’ s existing business clientele .
The rooms have been satisfactory for guests with Atkinson stating that there haven ’ t been any outstanding complaints so far . “ We might have had a few people say they don ’ t like it , to be fair , but we ’ ve never had anybody come running and screaming out the room saying : ‘ I feel really honed in !’” The second generation of the hotel hopes to remedy this not only with a slightly larger room but also with the installation of a graphic LED panel in place of a window – to invoke “ a real feel of comfort ” and make the area feel less small .
With the expansion of the brand underway , Atkinson has cities such as London , Edinburgh , Nottingham , and Cambridge as the few in mind he wants to take the concept to next . Seeing the concept as “ relatively limitless ”, Aktinson also sees the possibility of having sites at airports and opening ‘ work and stay ’ areas .
Claiming that the hotel will benefit whatever city it goes to , he goes on to suggest that whoever decides to take on the franchise will have a good deal on their hands . With Fiveways offering management services on the prospective investors ’ behalf , Atkinson states that it would be a “ good return [ on ] investment .”
16 www . hotelowner . co . uk September 2017