From left to right: Jason Delany, Director of Brand, Product & Marketing; Merlin Holland; Tom Walsh, CEO; Keith Freeman, COO; Atul Prakash, GM. Photograph by Jon Bradley.
Merlin Holland, the only grandson of famous Irish playwright and poet Oscar Wilde, was the guest of honour at the official opening of Staycity Group’s Wilde Aparthotels London, The Strand, yesterday [24 April].
Holland, along with Staycity Group CEO Tom Walsh, cut the ribbon on the apartment building, the first of the company’s premium Wilde brand, the design and concept of which was very much inspired by Oscar Wilde himself.
Said Holland: “I’m delighted to be involved with the opening of Wilde. My grandfather took a great interest in aesthetics, particularly in interior design. He memorably said ‘have nothing in your house that is not useful or beautiful’.”
The 106-room Wilde in the stunning location of London’s Strand, close to the popular tourist area of Covent Garden and the heart of London’s theatre-land, offers guests a choice of studios, superior studios and double rooms over eight floors including three sky level studios. Prices start from £160 per room per night.
CEO and company founder Tom Walsh said: “We are honoured to have Merlin with us to mark the opening of our first Wilde and to share some insight into his famous grandfather. It’s fitting that our first Wilde is close to where Oscar lived in London. It is also opposite the Vaudeville Theatre, currently hosting an Oscar Wilde season, and is a short walk from the Oscar Wilde memorial, near Charing Cross.”
Wilde, The Strand, general manager Atul Prakash, who joined Staycity in August 2017 with a strong background in the serviced apartment sector and hotel front-of-house, said that he was delighted with the reception the property had received so far.
“Our guests have already given us fantastic feedback on Wilde – they love the quirkiness of the rooms and the imaginative design touches. The quality of the beds has come in for particular praise too – as has the location of the building with its impressive views over London.”
Staycity intends to roll out the Wilde brand across gateway city centre locations throughout Europe. The Strand will be followed by a second on Edinburgh’s King’s Stables Road (123 apartments) at the end of 2019, two properties in Berlin opening 2019/2020, and another on Manchester’s St Peter’s Square opening in 2020 with 256 apartments. www.staycity.com. [ends]
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EDITOR’S NOTES
About Staycity Group
Award-winning Staycity Group is a privately held company based in Dublin offering quality short-term and long-term apartment and aparthotel lettings in central city locations across Europe. The properties operate under the Staycity Aparthotels and Wilde Aparthotels by Staycity brands.
Staycity was founded in 2004 by Tom Walsh and his brother Ger, starting with a single apartment in Dublin’s Temple Bar, a former recording studio used by the likes of U2.
The company’s expanding estate includes properties in Dublin (179 apartments), Edinburgh (146), Manchester (266), Liverpool (56), Birmingham (249), London Heathrow (269), London Greenwich (166), London Strand (106), Paris (50), York (197), Marseille (108) and Lyon (144) with new properties scheduled to open in Liverpool, Disneyland Paris, Dublin, Venice, Manchester and Berlin. The company is on target to achieve its stated aim of 15,000 apartments by 2022.
Staycity properties are made up of studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments offering 24-hour reception, kitchens or kitchenettes, a dining area, sitting area and bathroom as well as complimentary Wi-Fi access, flat-screen TV, guest laundry facilities and weekly housekeeping. Most sites have car parking and many offer a dry gym. The company’s most recent openings, such as London Heathrow, York, Birmingham Newhall Square, Manchester Piccadilly and Marseille have a lounge/café for breakfast, all-day snacks and drinks.
In 2015 Staycity Group won the Industry Breakthrough Award at the Association of Serviced Apartment Providers (ASAP) Annual Awards and was inducted into the Tripadvisor Hall of Fame. In 2016 the company was highly commended in the Serviced Apartment Business of the Year Award, Corporate category (ASAP Awards). In 2018 Staycity won the Best Operator Award (201+ apartments) in the Serviced Apartment News Awards www.staycity.com.