Qbic London to take its success nationwide – starting in London
Featuring innovative design, sustainable practices and community initiatives, Qbic Hotels opened in November 2013 in a disused office block on Adler Street in Shoreditch. The hotel’s unique concept, paired with low out-lay costs, a strong business model and competitive return on investment, has fast tracked Qbic’s projected growth plans.
“Qbic is an incredibly strong investment opportunity for real estate owners and developers. It offers the best formula to transform existing office space into high-margin, budget-economy hotels,” observed Paul Janmaat, Business Development Director of Qbic Hotel. “Essentially, it is a great way to fill empty real estate with a valuable concept that has already demonstrated high returns. Where the building on Adler Street was previous vacant, thanks to Qbic it is now producing income.”
Part of the Qbic success is due to the hotel’s build-in construction method based on a patented, modular all-in-one furniture pod, the Cubi, which is 20% cheaper and 40% faster than traditional hotel construction. Easy to install and remove, the fit-out period for a Qbic hotel is six months.
Aiming to be one of the greenest and fastest building concepts on offer, the Cubi in London enabled the old office building to be converted into a hotel quickly, efficiently and with little environmental impact. The construction method specifically targets existing office buildings, which allows Qbic hotels to be built in a wide variety of locations, including sites that are not feasible for other hotel chains. The Qbic London has also recycle 98% of its waste to date.
Qbic London is the second Qbic property to open, following the success of Qbic Hotel Amsterdam WTC, which launched in 2007. The immediate focus is now on securing further sites in central London, before developing the concept across the UK.
Janmaat concluded: “We are looking for spaces in the region of 26,900 to 64,600ft2 in zones one and two of the capital, close to transport links. We’re already looking in Camden, Borough, Vauxhall and Southwark and welcome approaches by those interested.”
