The customer base for Hyatt Hotels and Resorts’ Hyatt House brand was typically business travellers. Now, the hotel’s condo-like units equipped with a full kitchen, washer and dryer, separate living areas, and sometimes even a microwave, rice cooker and dishwasher are being used for getaways with family and friends after work is done. While Hyatt House has traditionally been more prolific in the US, it is fast expanding in Asia. Hyatt House Tokyo Shibuya is opening in 2024, its second property in Japan after Hyatt House Kanazawa, in addition to current properties in China and Kuala Lumpur.
Hyatt’s senior vice-president for commercial in the Asia-Pacific Carina Chorengel said: “We are anticipating a growing need for an offering that blends the reality of day-to-day life, where both leisure and work needs are met. We also see an increased desire for community, which are reflected in our communal spaces and programming that create the atmosphere of connecting with neighbours. That is a natural evolution of a guest experience that captures the feeling of living in a home, rather than a hotel.”
She has observed that the average business trip has increased from one to two nights to longer stays of three to four nights or sometimes more than seven nights. She explained: “There is more demand for premium accommodation and longer stays at our hotels as more people look to make the most of their travels. This is part of a broader trend of people booking longer stays, making the most of being away due to higher airline ticket prices and limited flights.
”Previously, corporate travel was the primary driver of long-stay travel. Now, there is a rising number of families, especially millennial parents with younger children, who stay for multiple days and make use of family facilities while they are working in the day, said Garth Simmons, chief executive officer for Accor Southeast Asia, Japan and South Korea.