Hyatt Announces Plans for the Addition of Three Story Hotels in Sweden
Main Photo: The Story Hotel Studio Malmo
Date: February 2021
Location: Stockholm and Malmo, Sweden
Names: The Story Hotel Riddargatan, Story Hotel Signalfabriken, both in Stockholm and the Story Hotel Studio Malmö
No. of Keys: 83, 83 and 95
Seller: The Story Hotel Riddargatan, Stockholm is believed to be one of Stockholm’s original boutique hotels; the hotel will have an industrial design to represent the building’s former life as an apartment complex, barber shop and garage.
The Story Hotel Signalfabriken was formerly a fire station and town hall and is a listed property in Sundbyberg’s Torg neighbourhood.
The Story Hotel Studio Malmo is part of the mixed-use STUDIO building, which also houses conference and meeting facilities, corporate offices, retail outlets, several restaurants and a café.
Buyer: Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced today that a Hyatt affiliate has entered into franchise agreements with Story Hotels Holding AB to bring three hotels in Sweden under the JDV Hotel brand, helping to grow Hyatt’s independent collection brand in Europe. The three boutique hotels – Story Hotel Riddargatan and Story Hotel Signalfabriken, both in Stockholm, and the Story Hotel Studio Malmö, Sweden – will all retain their individual hotel names and unique identities.
“We are very excited to bring these three Story Hotels in Europe under Hyatt’s JDV Hotel brand portfolio and at the same time grow the Hyatt hotel footprint in Sweden”, said Briana Swift, director of development Europe and Southwest Asia at Hyatt. “We are focused on thoughtful growth in locations that meet our guests’ and members’ needs, and the upcoming addition of three Story Hotels help us fuel this growth in markets like Scandinavia, as we collaborate with owners who want to maintain each property’s unique identity. With their strong design focus and neighbourhood feel, Story Hotels will be the perfect representation of Hyatt’s independent collection in Europe.”
The three hotels are ideally located at the heart of their destinations and each will celebrate the unique neighbourhoods in which the properties reside. With modern, Scandinavian design that reflects the edgy nature of both cities, the hotels will offer amenities for both business and leisure travellers.
“It was clear at an early stage that Hyatt and Story Hotels had a very similar vision of how modern upscale living should look and feel”, said Staffan Åkerlind, CEO Story Hotels. “We are thrilled to introduce the JDV Hotel brand to Europe and Scandinavia, and we are proud to be working with such an experienced, international hospitality company like Hyatt. We look forward to leveraging their experience to offer excellent service to our guests and benefit from their global scale and distribution platform.”
All three hotels will feature individually designed boutique guestrooms, vibrant public spaces and food and beverage offerings popular with both visitors and locals alike. Boutique in size as a reflection of their urban locations, each hotel will offer complimentary access to local gyms during their stay.
The Story Hotel Riddargatan, Stockholm: An 83-room property is centrally located in the Östermalm area with easy access to vibrant neighbourhood restaurants, cafés and bars as well as the high-end shopping district. The hotel will also feature a restaurant, Ling Long, specialising in Southeast Asian cuisine, and one indoor and one outdoor bar.
The Story Hotel Signalfabriken, Stockholm will also feature 83 individually designed guestrooms and a vibrant bar and restaurant, which will host regular DJ performances. The hotel is in Sundbyberg’s Torg neighbourhood will attract business travellers with meetings in the surrounding areas of Solna, Bromma and Kista. Leisure guests will enjoy the small town feel and abundance of restaurants nearby with quick access to Stockholm’s city centre in less than ten minutes via the nearby tram, bus and subway lines.
Story Hotel Studio Malmö will feature 95 unique guestrooms, all creative and playful in their design to reflect the young and vibrant population of the city. Situated on the top floors of a high-rise building, the hotel offers spectacular views overlooking the city and water. The hotel is part of the mixed-use STUDIO building. With its unique waterside location at Universitetsholmen, and close proximity to Malmö’s central station, guests can easily explore the city and nearby Copenhagen via a 35-minute train ride. The hotel’s restaurant and cocktail bar, Kasai in the Sky, will deliver food and drink on Malmö’s highest outdoor terrace with views of the ocean and city skyline.
The three hotels are expected to increase the number of Hyatt hotels in Sweden to four, following the 2020 opening of Stockholm’s Hotell Reisen, which is part of The Unbound Collection by Hyatt brand. Fuelled by guests’ growing desire for unique, differentiated experiences that foster genuine connections with people and cultures, Hyatt recently announced its intention to grow by more than 30 per cent in Europe, with a significant focus on developing the footprint of its lifestyle brands.
JDV Hotels offers a collection of vibrant, independent hotels that are true reflections of the urban neighbourhoods they call home. Each hotel provides an experience that is inclusive in spirit and space, welcoming all vibes, tribes and unique souls—effortlessly bringing people together with joy-driven service. Embracing its namesake, each property invites guests and locals to connect, live in the moment and celebrate the joy of life.
Story Hotel Holding is the parent company of the three Story Hotels, with a total of 261 hotel rooms and 519 beds. The Company’s vision is to acquire and open additional Story Hotels in Scandinavia and Northern Europe within a few years and to continue to challenge the conventional hotel industry by taking advantage of technological solutions, pay homage to individualism and offering creative hotel alternatives inspired by design, art and music.
THPT Comment: A serious expansion into Scandinavia for Hyatt, through this JV, with a local company with a passion for “different” giving guests the local feeling. Well done….
First Seen: Hotel Spec Online
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