ASAP Operator Member Beyond Apartments has announced an expansion across three new sites in central London. It will also open a property in Harrogate later this year and is looking to extend its reach through more partnerships with private landlords and family offices. Read more
As travel behaviour continues to evolve, ASAP Operator Member Frasers Hospitality is repositioning itself around a broader ambition: not just to accommodate guests, but to help them live better . James Foice, ASAP CEO, recently met with Eu Chin Fen, Chief Executive Officer, Frasers Hospitality, and Chief Operating Officer Chew Hang Song, to discuss their clear shift away from traditional hospitality models towards a more holistic, experience-led approach - one shaped by hybrid working, digital nomadism and changing generational expectations. Frasers Hospitality’s approach is anchored in five core pillars: learning, connected, wellness, experiencing and impacting . Together, they form what the company describes as a philosophy of “enriched living” - supporting guests not just in where they stay, but in how they grow, interact and engage with the world around them. For a new generation of travellers, more mobile, experience-driven and less tied to ownership, this aligns closely with shifting expectations of what accommodation should deliver. At the heart of this evolution is a rethinking of space and purpose. Across Frasers Hospitality’s brands, apartments are becoming more efficient - sometimes as compact as 25m² - but carefully designed with distinct living zones. The new generation of traveller comes with less baggage – literally – while seeking to live, to work, and to be themselves in another city. This way, space is less significant than comfort, experience and flexibility. Meanwhile expanded communal areas act as extensions of private space. Concepts such as lounges that transition from breakfast areas to coworking hubs and evening social spaces reflect a move towards multi-functional living environments. At the same time, properties are increasingly rooted in their local context, with design, programming and experiences - from cultural tours to curated dining - bringing the surrounding neighbourhood into the guest journey. Frasers Hospitality was launched in 1998 offering hotel-level service with apartment flexibility. People appreciate the service, but it is the flexibility that keeps the offering one step ahead. A genuine understanding of the new generation of guests through focus groups and constant feedback means everything is carefully designed to appeal. A truly Instagram-able café, open all day, takes the place of a hotel breakfast that is finished by 10am – surely more appealing to a late rising digital nomad. But the most significant shift is Frasers Hospitality’s deepening focus on wellness as a core proposition rather than an add-on. Moving beyond traditional gyms and spas, the organisation is introducing dedicated wellness suites in some of their upscale apartments (more about this to follow!) featuring infrared saunas, cold plunge pools and advanced therapies, designed as immersive, memorable experiences. Alongside this, more accessible wellness touches and partnerships with local providers ensure the concept scales across different price points. In conclusion, Frasers Hospitality is tapping directly into the hospitality sector’s biggest shift: from accommodation to lifestyle platform. Wellness, in this context, is no longer a facility - it’s a strategic differentiator, embedded across design, service and experience. Crucially, it’s being positioned alongside connection, learning and purpose, reflecting a broader demand for stays that feel meaningful rather than transactional. For the serviced accommodation sector, this reinforces a clear direction of travel. The most competitive operators will be those who design around how people actually live today, blending work, leisure, wellbeing and community. The opportunity is not just to offer more, but to offer it intelligently: flexible spaces, local integration, and experiences that resonate. Pictured below: Frasers Hospitality Chief Operating Officer Chew Hang Song ; ASAP Communications Director Becky Hoyle ; ASAP Chief Executive Officer James Foice ; Frasers Hospitality Chief Executive Officer Eu Chin Fen .
ASAP Operator Member Staycity Group has signed a 20-year lease on a property at the Brooks on East development in Berlin’s Friedrichshain. The development is set on the bank of the river Spree with views over Berlin and is hailed to become ‘a cosmopolitan hub for modern city living’ with its easy access to Berlin’s Ostbahnhof railway station, the Uber Arena and the East Side Gallery. The property will operate under the Dublin-based aparthotel operator’s boutique lifestyle brand, Wilde, offering 222 apartments across two landmark towers. The first tower, housing 116 apartments across six floors, is scheduled to open in Q2/3 2027. The 95-metre structure will also feature a lobby with reception and café/bar on its ground floor. Tower 2, at 86 metres high, will have 106 apartments across the first five upper floors with a fitness studio and additional space on the ground floor. Staycity’s first Wilde in Berlin was opened at Checkpoint Charlie in December 2019. Negotiations for the deal were jointly led by project managers and developers Arrow Global and Red Square, with the law firms Jahn Hettler Rechtsanwälte for the lessor, and Kucera Rechtsanwälte for the lessee. Aaron Tschörne , Managing Director at Red Square, commented: “Our collaboration with the fast-growing, pan-European Staycity Group enhances the quality of Brooks on East through a well-established lifestyle concept. Following the base build-out of the space, the tenant will carry out the interior fit-out with its own team, allowing maximum flexibility to implement its distinctive design ideas. We are confident that this recognised brand will set a further strong accent in Berlin.” Andrew Fowle , Chief Development Officer at Staycity Group, added: “Berlin is a key market for us within our European portfolio as we focus on cities that appeal equally to business and leisure travellers. With this prominent location at the East Side Gallery, a major tourist hotspot, we have secured another high-footfall site in the German capital. Alongside the quality of the location, the two landmark buildings and the professionalism of our project partners were decisive factors in our decision.” Brooks on East, located between Ostbahnhof and Uber Arena, is part of the wider Media Spree district development. The project comprises two towers with podium levels with over 350 residential apartments with living spaces ranging from 60 to over 300 square metres, including spacious penthouses with panoramic city views. The development will also include office and retail space. Building works on the project were resumed in September 2024 following the insolvency of the previous developer after insolvency administrator Christian Otto, partner at hww hermann wienberg wilhelm, secured new financing from the existing lenders.
ASAP Operator Member Beyond Apartments has announced an expansion across three new sites in central London. It will also open a property in Harrogate later this year and is looking to extend its reach through more partnerships with private landlords and family offices. Read more
As travel behaviour continues to evolve, ASAP Operator Member Frasers Hospitality is repositioning itself around a broader ambition: not just to accommodate guests, but to help them live better . James Foice, ASAP CEO, recently met with Eu Chin Fen, Chief Executive Officer, Frasers Hospitality, and Chief Operating Officer Chew Hang Song, to discuss their clear shift away from traditional hospitality models towards a more holistic, experience-led approach - one shaped by hybrid working, digital nomadism and changing generational expectations. Frasers Hospitality’s approach is anchored in five core pillars: learning, connected, wellness, experiencing and impacting . Together, they form what the company describes as a philosophy of “enriched living” - supporting guests not just in where they stay, but in how they grow, interact and engage with the world around them. For a new generation of travellers, more mobile, experience-driven and less tied to ownership, this aligns closely with shifting expectations of what accommodation should deliver. At the heart of this evolution is a rethinking of space and purpose. Across Frasers Hospitality’s brands, apartments are becoming more efficient - sometimes as compact as 25m² - but carefully designed with distinct living zones. The new generation of traveller comes with less baggage – literally – while seeking to live, to work, and to be themselves in another city. This way, space is less significant than comfort, experience and flexibility. Meanwhile expanded communal areas act as extensions of private space. Concepts such as lounges that transition from breakfast areas to coworking hubs and evening social spaces reflect a move towards multi-functional living environments. At the same time, properties are increasingly rooted in their local context, with design, programming and experiences - from cultural tours to curated dining - bringing the surrounding neighbourhood into the guest journey. Frasers Hospitality was launched in 1998 offering hotel-level service with apartment flexibility. People appreciate the service, but it is the flexibility that keeps the offering one step ahead. A genuine understanding of the new generation of guests through focus groups and constant feedback means everything is carefully designed to appeal. A truly Instagram-able café, open all day, takes the place of a hotel breakfast that is finished by 10am – surely more appealing to a late rising digital nomad. But the most significant shift is Frasers Hospitality’s deepening focus on wellness as a core proposition rather than an add-on. Moving beyond traditional gyms and spas, the organisation is introducing dedicated wellness suites in some of their upscale apartments (more about this to follow!) featuring infrared saunas, cold plunge pools and advanced therapies, designed as immersive, memorable experiences. Alongside this, more accessible wellness touches and partnerships with local providers ensure the concept scales across different price points. In conclusion, Frasers Hospitality is tapping directly into the hospitality sector’s biggest shift: from accommodation to lifestyle platform. Wellness, in this context, is no longer a facility - it’s a strategic differentiator, embedded across design, service and experience. Crucially, it’s being positioned alongside connection, learning and purpose, reflecting a broader demand for stays that feel meaningful rather than transactional. For the serviced accommodation sector, this reinforces a clear direction of travel. The most competitive operators will be those who design around how people actually live today, blending work, leisure, wellbeing and community. The opportunity is not just to offer more, but to offer it intelligently: flexible spaces, local integration, and experiences that resonate. Pictured below: Frasers Hospitality Chief Operating Officer Chew Hang Song ; ASAP Communications Director Becky Hoyle ; ASAP Chief Executive Officer James Foice ; Frasers Hospitality Chief Executive Officer Eu Chin Fen .
