The Ascott Limited is bringing its co-living hotel brand ‘lyf’ to Australia with the opening of lyf Collingwood this month.
Lyf – which stand for ‘live your freedom’, pronounced life – is a ‘next generation’ hotel concept designed to foster a sense of community among guests through such features as a communal kitchen, shared workspace, laundrette, social space and more.
Opening on Saturday May 14, lyf Collingwood Melbourne features 105 studio rooms, including studio and two-bed offerings, custom-designed to suit both leisure and corporate travellers.
“The opening of lyf Collingwood signals the start of a phase of growth for The Ascott Limited in Australia, following successful integration of the Quest Apartment Hotels brand into the business,” said The Ascott Limited Managing Director – Australia, David Mansfield.
“We see great opportunity for expansion across key gateway cities in Australia, especially for our globally successful Citadines Apart’hotel and lyf brands and we are currently working with a number of interested parties on both management and franchise models.”
lyf Collingwood Melbourne is intended to be a space where leisure and corporate travellers can mix – offering a networking lounge, free barista made coffee for Ascott Star Rewards members, high speed Wi-Fi, a communal kitchen and a laundry space complete with an old school arcade-style games machine.
“Start-ups and technopreneurs don’t just want a conference room — they want fun, creative spaces and the opportunity to explore. They want to bond and network organically,” said lyf Residence Manager, Shermaine Chong.
“Guests don’t just want a room and a shower. They’re looking to connect with like-minded people. They want a team who can help them really discover the fabric of a neighbourhood — the secret bar, the pop-up restaurant, the late-night comedy gig. Our guests want authenticity and community — they want somewhere to stay that is much more than somewhere to sleep.”
Lyf’s ‘Two of a Kind’ studios – designed for friends or colleagues travelling together – feature side-by-side apartments with separate lockable entrances and a shared kitchen kitted out with SMEG appliances. The ‘One of a Kind’ studios – for singles or pairs – aim to satisfy those seeking a little more floorspace, while ‘One of a Kind Plus’ are accessible apartments complete with open format bathrooms, wheel-in shower and easy access counters and door handles.
The hotel – which includes a 24-hour reception staffed by ‘lyf guards’ – is also pet friendly with the ‘CollingWOOF’ package offering canine guests a bed, blanket and food bowl plus a welcome pack including a treat and toy.
The Ascott Limited eyes growth
In 2023, The Ascott Limited will bring the Citadines Apart’hotel brand to Sydney with the opening of the 252-room Citadines Walker North Sydney.
The Quest Apartment Hotels brand is also continuing to expand with four new apartment hotels to open this year – Quest 256 Lambton, Wellington, Quest Hastings, Quest on Cambridge, Christchurch and Quest Watergardens, Melbourne). Six more Quest hotels are in the pipeline for 2023 including Quest Collingwood, Melbourne, Quest Geelong Central, Quest Woolooware Bay, Quest Blacktown and Quest on Wickham Terrace.
Four other lyf properties are slated to open across the globe this year in gateway cities Bangkok, Cebu, Kuala Lumpur and Xi’an. Five other lyf properties are scheduled to open in Beijing, Danang, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila and Paris by 2025.
The Ascott Limited has set a target to sign 150 properties with over 30,000 units under its lyf coliving brand by 2030.