Between Airbnb and traditional serviced apartments, there is a gap of hotel accommodation that is starting to catch on, and long-stay furnished apartment business Furnished Property has found it.
The group, founded by former University of Technology classmates Alex Thorpe and Rhys Williams, has launched a new line of bespoke hotels, Veriu Hotels, which provides the security of services and amenities that Airbnb doesn’t do and the charm of local areas that big-city serviced apartments don’t have.
The brand will kick off with five Sydney inner-city “character” locations, Camperdown, Broadway, Randwick, Central and Green Square.
The $18 million Veriu Broadway will be the first to open in April with 64 serviced apartments, converted from a former warehouse.
It has a traditional 24-hour reception and restaurants but that’s about where the similarities with traditional hotels end.
Guests are offered complimentary “explorer bicycles” to discover the local village, and complimentary drinks and snacks from local shops and restaurants. Staff masquerade as local area guides
Even the name Verius is derived from the Latin word “verus”, which means true and genuine.
“[Sydney lord mayor] Clover Moore would be very proud of us for putting hotels in villages,” Mr Thorpe said.
“Beyond this, we want our guests to move freely through our properties so we have developed ‘Veriu Connect’. This allows any Veriu guest to drop into one of our other locations, flash a room card … and ask the concierge about the best places to explore,” Mr Williams said.
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