The 370-room citizenM hotel opens opposite the Tower of London. It is the second London for the Dutch hotel brand, which was founded in 2008.
The company boasts it has been a “disruptive force, breaking the rules of traditional hospitality” with its “belief in offering an outstanding experience and advanced thinking, treating all guests equally and seeking to give them what they really want – contemporary design, technology that enables a streamlined experience and friendly, efficient service at a very smart price.”
In the centre of the hotel are self-check-in terminals, arranged in circles around sapling trees, which allow check-in and -out in seconds. Furniture from Vitra, citizenM’s long-term partner, is used throughout the hotel, showcasing classic pieces from designers such as Verner Panton, Charles & Ray Eames, and Jean Prouvé.
Oversized shelves are filled with travel and art books and unique objects that reflect aspects of traditional British heritage, including stuffed boar’s head, vintage cricket bats, antique riding boots and silver sports trophies.
With the opening of its new flagship, citizenM also introduces its new retail concept, collectionM, which came about in response from guests wanting to buy items they had seen at the hotels.
citizenM Tower of London is the eighth citizenM hotel, and joins London Bankside, Glasgow, New York, Paris, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
citizenM Shoreditch is set to open in September and construction underway on two hotels in Paris, as well as in New York, Taipei and Shanghai. New hotels will also be built in Seattle and Los Angeles.
citizenM was founded by Rattan Chadha, the founder and former CEO of the fashion brand Mexx. The group’s concept is based on offering “affordable luxury for the people”, in which guests can enjoy all the luxuries they would expect from a 5-star hotel – but without any hidden or unnecessary costs.
It has a strategic plan of expansion that envisages its doubling in size within the next five years, focusing on Europe, Asia and North America.