When The Student Hotel opened its first property in Rotterdam in 2012 , it aimed to attract young travelers and students looking for a fun place to stay , connect , work and share experiences . But as the spaces also featured coworking and event spaces , bars , lounges and gyms , the hotels naturally evolved to become much more than simply students ’ hotels . Today , with travel trends as they are , the hotels attract a more diverse population , like digital nomads and entrepreneurs . Its natural evolution made it more than a student hotel and begged for a name change . With a valuation of € 2.1 billion ( US $ 2.11 billion ) in
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its last funding round , the Amsterdam-based company in October rebranded as The Social Hub to better reflect its hybrid hospitality offering , connecting guests and the local community . The US $ 5 million spent on the rebrand also reflects guests ’ needs for flexible spaces that allow people to connect and find community .
With more than 11,000 rooms across Europe open and under development , the company has achieved its mission of “ students deserve better .”
“ As we have grown and evolved , we became aware that despite our inclusivity and openness to welcome everyone , our name was still excluding so many community members ,”
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said The Social Hub Founder and CEO Charlie MacGregor .
The company ’ s present portfolio includes 13 properties , with the rebranding coinciding with the launch of multi-millioneuro properties in Madrid and Barcelona in Spain . The Social Hub ’ s openings this year are part of the first phase of its expansion strategy to increase its portfolio by 100 % with seven additional properties slated to launch by 2025 .
In conversation with HOTELS , MacGregor spoke about the recent rebrand , The Social Hub ’ s growth plans , performance projections and long-term opportunities .
HOTELS : What prompted
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the decision to rebrand The Student Hotel as The Social Hub ? Charlie MacGregor : We have been operating as The Student Hotel since 2012 when we opened our first property in Rotterdam . With our hotels across Europe , we feel we achieved our mission that ‘ students deserve better .’ But our properties have been open to more than students since the beginning — digital nomads , entrepreneurs , and travelers are all part of our community and have been from the start . Indeed , we pioneered the hybrid hospitality model . As we have grown and evolved , we became aware that despite our inclusivity and openness to welcome |
22 hotelsmag . com Jan / Feb 2023 |