Airbnb “ superhost ” himself , came up with the idea of Bob W when he left his multiple short-term rental apartments in Finland to travel in Asia . He asked himself , “ What would happen if an operator was in control of the hardware and software and actually created spaces that exceeded the expectations of a hotel guest ?”
WHAT ’ S THE RECIPE ? What is a Bob W ? Now located in 15 cities in nine European countries , including “ Bobs ” in Helsinki , Tallin , London , Milan , Madrid , Berlin and Athens , the brand comprises full-building conversions of what had been aparthotels , hotels and other commercial buildings through leases and management agreements . There is no staff on property , but there is an operations person nearby and a team of third-party cleaners .
What makes it all work , said Karstikko , is the “ beautiful technology ” of the apps . There is a cleaner app , an operations app and a guest app , the latter in the form of Bob W . That app , using both AI and humans , interacts continuously with guests to facilitate check-in , deal with issues and provide any amenities or services necessary — think a crib , local guidance , an extra pillow and more .
While there are no shared public spaces , properties always offer a nearby place to eat breakfast — with the option of bed-and-breakfast packages . Rates include access to a local gym and the app will help guests navigate the neighborhood , serving as a personal concierge . In addition , previous guests leave notes and pictures with restaurant and activity suggestions .
Bob W , said Karstikko , speaks nine languages ( having just added Dutch because of openings in Amsterdam ) and is clearly well educated but is a man of the people . He doesn ’ t sleep or take lunch and answers questions in an average of 80 seconds . “ This is for the Airbnb generation that ’ s growing up — with technology under the hood making it all work so we don ’ t screw things up ,” said Karstikko .
At the end of the day , said Karstikko , “ We effectively have the cost structure of a budget hotel and the average daily rates of a lifestyle hotel thanks to the technology .”
TECH DRIVEN , GROWTH FOCUSED Bob W ’ s obsessions include cleanliness and sustainability . While the company works with third-party cleaning operators , Karstikko said they are empowered with an interactive to-do list where they can go to different parts of the building — say to bring towels to room 503 or be prompted to change the battery in the TV remotes every six months in every room . Bedding is changed weekly unless the guest opts to pay for additional services . “ Our ethos ,” he said , “ is to create autonomous hospitality .”
All of Bob W ’ s technology is proprietary through an inhouse team that built all the apps as well as the back-end functionality . Running a hotel , said Karstikko , “ is like playing Tetris ,” referring to the video puzzle game .
With all that technology , there are always local touches in the rooms , including secondhand furniture from nearby businesses . And the company is climate-neutral , meaning that it has considered all climatewarming gases in its accounting and offsetting , not just carbon .
WE EFFECTIVELY HAVE THE COST STRUCTURE OF A BUDGET HOTEL AND THE AVERAGE DAILY RATES OF A LIFESTYLE HOTEL THANKS TO THE TECHNOLOGY
– NIKO KARSTIKKO , CEO , BOB W
October 2023 hotelsmag . com 19