GLOBAL LEADERS
Darren Edmonstone Gen Z is now the largest group of consumers in the world.
Darren Edmonstone, Next Hotels & Resorts
SNAPSHOT: NEXT STORY GROUP Number of hotels and Kafnu properties (Globally): 31 Number of hotels and Kafnu properties (Asia Pacific): 31 Number of hotels and Kafnu properties (Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific): 21 Number of employees (Globally / APAC / ANZSP): 380 Year the company was founded: 2009 Brands in the organisation: Next, Sage, Ink, Chifley, Country Comfort and Kafnu Head office locations (Globally / APAC / ANZSP): Singapore, Sydney and Bengaluru
40 HM The Business of Accommodation
experience the ty is slower pace of th eb ran smaller cities and d’s fif th location micro escapes that make every precious day count. We see this at our Sage Hotel Wollongong, which has been hosting increasing numbers of time–pressed travellers who juggle work and family commitments and want to escape the hustle and bustle of their daily lives. These trends are great for destinations like Australia, which continues to be a key market for us. Despite the ongoing battle with the devastating bushfires, Australia remains a resilient market. Our teams are standing strong with the affected communities and we are optimistic about the future. Australia is where we have our largest portfolio of 21 properties, and we are continuing to explore ways to grow our brands there. In fact, we are preparing for the much–anticipated opening of our second Next hotel in September 2020. The 255–room Next Hotel Melbourne is a brand–defining property with a fantastic location at 80 Collins Street in the CBD. Next Hotels will be our third brand to be established in Melbourne after Sage Hotels and Ink Hotels. The Next Hotels brand is targeted at modern professionals seeking great design, efficiency and inspired experiences. In addition to experiencing Next’s smart and intuitive service, guests of Next Hotel Melbourne will also get a taste of our bold new Food & Beverage strategy. In 2020 and beyond, F&B will be a major focus area for us. We see it as much more than a convenient service to hotel guests. Food and Beverage is an opportunity to wow our guests with exciting and creative dining concepts. Increasingly, guests are paying more attention to their culinary itinerary, curating restaurant bookings and building their trips around destination dining. To cater to this growing appetite for gastronomic experiences, we are partnering with culinary leaders in varying destinations to develop innovative concepts which will engage our guests and attract locals. This year is going to be an exciting one for Next Story Group and it is full steam ahead for us. In the next 12 months, we are looking forward to the openings of Next Melbourne and Kafnu St Marks to add to our portfolio. We are also preparing to open Ink Singapore in 2021. Next Story Group is currently present in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Taiwan and Vietnam, and we have a very robust pipeline that will grow our footprint in more destinations across South East Asia, Australia, India, and beyond in the years to come. Ci
Despite the ongoing battle with the devastating bushfires, Australia remains a resilient market.
YEAR 2019 WAS full of exciting developments in the industry and it was a defining year for us at Next Story Group. It was the year Gen Z overtook Millennials in terms of sheer numbers and also the year we launched Ink Hotels – a brand designed for travellers with a Gen Z mindset. Gen Z is now the largest group of consumers in the world. Representing 32% of the world’s population, their preferences and decision–making habits are factors the hospitality industry will strive to take into account. On our part, we invested in brand development to ensure stronger differentiation and a deeper connection with our guests. Our investment is already paying off. Our very first Ink hotel – the newly launched Ink Hotel Melbourne Southbank – has garnered great feedback from guests, hotel owners and business partners. They love the local vibe, the connection with the local community and the unique stay experience. The guests want new experiences and they want to travel in a more sustainable and connected way. Ink Hotels delivers that by doing things differently and colouring outside the lines. It champions the local narrative and gives guests the opportunity to be environmentally and socially conscious, whilst offering good honest value too. Ink Hotels is also a brand suited to capital cities as well as secondary and emerging cities, a fact that works especially well for Next Story Group as we continue to grow our hotel brands in Asia Pacific, a region home to 75% of the world’s emerging destinations. With increased flight connectivity, affordable airfares and maturing tourism infrastructure in secondary cities, we are witnessing the rise of second city travellers and travellers who take twin city trips, using a big city as a base and exploring a smaller destination nearby. Our Sage Hotel Melbourne, Ringwood is a great example of this, where guests like to stay to give themselves the best of both worlds – access to Melbourne and proximity to different experiences in destinations such as the Yarra Valley, Geelong and the Great Ocean Road. More travellers are also opting for slow travel to
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Chief Executive Officer, Next Hotels & Resorts