The rise in remote and hybrid working environments allows employees more flexibility in where they work. For some, this means greater freedom for frequent travel while still holding a full-time job. Van life is a popular option for many of these nomadic workers, but not everyone is down to live in such small quarters. For those looking for a little more room, and a lot more amenities, extended stay apartment-hotels might be the answer.
Placemakr, a tech-enabled hospitality company, offers flexible, high-end living accommodations that blend apartment and hotel living experiences. Formerly known as WhyHotel, the D.C.-headquartered company has seven different locations in sought-after neighborhoods across D.C., New York City and Nashville. Customers can enjoy the luxury of hotel amenities in the comfort and convenience of an apartment-style living space.
The company’s recent rebranding comes with an announcement of $90 million in equity investments. Placemakr plans to raise a total of $1 billion over the next year or two for property acquisitions in order to bring its luxury hospitality experiences to more locations, starting in Nashville and later expanding to other markets.
"When we started the company, we envisioned a flexible future, where the needs surrounding where we live and how we travel converge. We realized that this would create the opportunity to engineer a new real estate asset class that bridges the hotel and apartment world and is more valuable than either product alone,” Placemakr CEO and co-founder Jason Fudin said in a statement. “Well, that future came even quicker than we imagined and has allowed Placemakr to be the premier brand, tech-stack, operator, and real estate investor in this new world. We are excited to double down on our growth to meet this market.”
Placemakr has two main hospitality offerings: pop-up hotels which are still under the name WhyHotel and a collection of various residential properties: Placemakr Premier, Placemakr and A Placemakr Experience. These properties vary in tiers of amenities and extravagance, offering everything from short-term stays and corporate housing to long-term residential spaces.
The newest addition to Placemakr’s presence in Nashville is Placemakr Premier SoBro, featuring 300 high-rise luxury apartment-hotels located downtown. A third of these are unfurnished, residential spaces for long term occupation featuring hotel-esque amenities. The remaining spaces are being furnished for short or medium term stays beginning this July.
Luxury amenities offered at the Premier SoBro location include a state-of-the-art fitness center and sauna, outdoor pool and whirlpool, outdoor fire pits and gas grills, tech-enabled lounge space, and a 24-hour concierge.
Placemakr also has a number of hospitality experiences located in the D.C. area including Placemakr Experiences in the West End, The Boro, National Mall and NoMa neighborhoods.
