NUMA Group has announced the acquisition of a lifestyle apart hotel brand Native Places from Native Holdings.
NUMA Group has acquired 100% of Native Places the short-stay business division of NativeHoldings, founded by Guy Nixon, for an undisclosed price. Native Residential will continue as part of Native Holdings and will be focused on growing as one of the UK’s largest operators of build-to-rent, co-living, mixed use and commercial assets under the leadership of Guy Nixon.
Native Places is one of the UK’s pioneers in the lifestyle apart hotel and serviced apartment sector, with over 800 units, and it is headquartered in London. Native Places assets range from small to medium-scale serviced apartment buildings in London under the brand of The Apartment Collection to larger-scale Native Apart Hotels. When staying with Native Apart Hotels, guests get freedom of an apartment with the comfort and services of a boutique hotel in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.
The acquisition of Native Places marks a logical continuation of NUMA’s growth strategy across Europe. NUMA is focusing on hotel and commercial properties in central locations of Europe’s major cities for conversion to digitalised hotels. The company targets lively neighbourhoods and main demand drivers for tourism and business travellers.
NUMA Group recently reached €2bn in real estate assets under management and manages over 6,500 rooms and apartments across 34 major cities in 14 European countries. Native Places will add over 800 new units to NUMA’s property portfolio, bringing the total to over 7,300 units.
Christian Gaiser, CEO and Co-Founder of NUMA Group, said: “At NUMA, our mission is to redefine the hospitality landscape, tailoring it to the demands of contemporary consumers. We are at the forefront of digitising and elevating the entire travel experience, continuously seeking innovative ways to deepen the connection between our guests and their preferred urban destinations.
“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Native Places and their team. We aim to establish a leading position in the UK’s premier cities, with London being the #1 European hospitality market. Thanks to Native Places, we will gain access to a very strong brand recognized by leisure and business travellers.
“Native Places has built a substantial direct share through its corporate distribution channels, as well as B2B and B2C brand recognition. Native Places’ exceptional and historical portfolio perfectly complements our expansion strategy – given Native Places’ outstanding ratings and high guest satisfaction. This collaboration marks another significant step forward in NUMA’s ambition to expand across Europe and secure a dominant foothold in the UK market.”
Olivia Immesi, who joined Native Places as Managing Director in 2021 and was appointed the CEO in 2023 has transformed the brand to become the leading Apart Hotel lifestyle brand in the last three years of her leadership and played a significant role in the acquisition process and will maintain her leadership role as the company joins the NUMA Group. Both Olivia and Archie Hunter, who has significantly expanded the Native Places portfolio in recent years, will continue to foster this growth in collaboration with the NUMA team.
Olivia Immesi boasts more than 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, having previously worked on the launch of the original Hoxton and Ace Hotel London. She said: “Native Places has become a leading lifestyle apart hotel & serviced apartment operator in the UK, and we’re thrilled to be merging with NUMA as it expands its presence in the UK. I’m incredibly excited to continue to lead the Native Places brand as it joins a fast-moving European and tech-driven serviced apartment platform, creating one of the largest platforms of lifestyle serviced apartments in Europe.”
