Bespoke hospitality for Generation Y

They’re smart, tech-literate and constantly connected to the world of social media. Yet they’re also enterprising, dynamic and eternally optimistic. They are – of course – the Millennials, people born between the 1980s and the turn of the new millennium, a social group also known as Generation Y. And now a brand-new format of hospitality has been devised to appeal to their intrinsic characteristics and cultural understanding.

At the base of the Yurbban Trafalgar Hotel in Barcelona is a truly sophisticated sense of style, with vintage details in the decorations and furniture for the 56 rooms, communal spaces and panoramic terrace designed by global leading brands. Yet there is also an extremely bespoke feel to the service on offer: there’s an iConsierge (an online service to help organise every aspect of your stay and make you feel like a proper local) but also a fitness area, a 24-hour supermarket and a range of free bikes available at all times (made by local brand Finna Cycles). Urban and modern, the Yurbann is every inch the reflection of the Generation Y spirit. We met Marta Parera, the hotel’s Marketing Manager, to discuss the innovative concept behind the Yurbban.

Yurbban Hotel features a very cutting idea of hotellerie edge. What’s the concept at thebottom of the project?

The client wanted the guests to have the perception of entering a 3-star and leaving a 5-star hotel. Therefore, noble materials such as hickory, brass, oak and mirrors were used, in combination with a warm atmosphere due to the lighting project. Additionally, a carefully studied selection of furniture manufacturers and models have been chosen, standing out as much for their quality as for their design.

The Hotel is a mix of many very special features: a smart and simple design and many services, including medical (not common to find). It almost seems that the hotel would be the result of a market research. Is it?

More than a market research, the services we offer have been imagined keeping in mind what we want for the final guest. Which means that our aim is to make our guests feel at home and long for enjoy good their holidays. When we travel we rest to live the city in an authentic and unique way. Our efforts are focused on a personalized service to each person who stays in the hotel, satisfying their needs, even offering medical service if necessary.

Let’s talk more services: mini market, local store, free self- service laundry, renting bike. Which is your targetgroup?

Our target group millennials are people who love to do everything by themselves, which means that they love and live the concept of “do it yourself ”. An example for this feature is our lobby located local store where you can find a selection of local products which serve to fill the minibars in the rooms. The free laundry service works the same way, the client chooses to wash his or her clothes or not and can do so without charge. Also, there is the possibility to use the Hotel’s bikes to go explore the city and get lost within its streets and gardens.

Contemporary and vintage, smart but refined, leisure and business, private and social: is this the key for the hospitality of third millennium?

We don’t believe that there is the key to success but a sum of many factors and the work of many people. What we do is a commitment to what we see that works in this moment, the “affordable luxury”. It seems that now more and more, luxury is not related to exorbitant prices or premium products but focused on details, personalized treatments and services. Our clients value being able to live an authentic and unforgettable experience, rather than paying for an exclusive service with no soul.

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The Yurbban Trafalgar is part of the Contract&Hospitality Book – Spring/Summer edition by IFDM, also available in digital version.

Credits:

Ownership: Leabon
Hotel management firm: Yurbban Hotels
Main suppliers: Artemide, Delightful, Flexform, Gandiablasco, Gervasoni, Hay, Knoll, Paola Lenti, Saarinen, Thonet.
General contractor: Luis Parés
Project Manager: Initia / TRT Architect
Project Team: BCA Architects / Raquel Sogorb (Interior Design)

Web: www.yurbban.com
Address: Carrer de Trafalgar, 30 – Barcelona