Ruby Hotels Unveils Plans for 10 New Destinations by 2021

Main Photo: The Bar

Date: March 2019

Location: Europe

Name: Ruby Hotels

No. of Keys: 1,116 currently; including pipeline – 2,773

Owner: The Munich-based hotel company and pioneer of the “lean luxury” concept announces ambitious expansion plans to open ten new properties by 2021.

The lean luxury concept was used for the first time in the Viennese hotel Ruby Sofie, which opened in 2014.

This was followed by the Ruby Marie and Ruby Lissi hotels, also located in Vienna, Ruby Lilly in Munich, Ruby Coco in Düsseldorf and the recently opened Ruby Lotti in Hamburg (November 2018).

Ruby Hotels is opening new properties at multiple destinations such as Ruby Leni (June 2019) in Düsseldorf and Ruby Lucyon London’s bustling Southbank (November 2019).

The London property will be located on Lower March, Waterloo, within a new building designed by architect company Studio Kyson. The hotel will be a partnership between Ruby Hotels, led by founder and chief executive Michael Struck, and family-owned property company Max Barney Estate.

Struck holds shares in the company, alongside the Austrian Soravia Group and private investor Michael Hehn.

Additional locations include Zurich, Geneva, Cologne, Frankfurt, Shanghai and Chengdu.

Ruby Hotels are all characterised by the group’s “lean luxury” philosophy, an original concept within the hotel industry.

At lean luxury properties, guests enjoy a five-star room in a top location for the price of a budget hotel.

Ruby does this by removing traditional – and often outdated – hotel amenities which today’s style-conscious travellers no longer have a need for, and replace them with authentic, modern solutions.

For example, there are no in-house restaurants, but guests enjoy organic and locally-sourced breakfast in a trendy, communal area without a kitchen or chef.

Instead of overpriced mini-bars and room service, Ruby Hotels’ pantries, vending machines and ironing boards satisfy basic needs, while cool bars, lounges and rooftop chill-out spaces replace traditional spa and fitness facilities.

Lean luxury prioritises conveniences such as full sound insulation, walk-in showers, blackout curtains, high-quality linen and wide custom-made mattresses for a perfect night’s sleep.

Music also plays a key role at Ruby Hotels. The laid-back, contemporary design comes with quirky accents such as a Marshall amplifier in every room where guests can lock their own guitar or borrow one from reception.

Another key amenity is the state-of-the-art check-in via tablet which uses the latest technology and takes less than a minute.

Each room is also loaded with curated local guides, social media apps and unlimited data guests can use to get the most out of their stays.

THPT Comment: Certainly a new and welcome style to the European hotel scene, not necessarily unique, but welcome all the same.

First Seen: Infabode

The Hotel Property Team (THPT) is a small group of highly experienced business professionals. Between us, we provide a range of skills and experience which is directly relevant to those involved in the hotel property market.

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