International hospitality group edyn will expand its lifestyle aparthotel brand Locke outside of the UK for the first time with the opening of Zanzibar Locke in Dublin. Situated on Ormond Quay, overlooking the River Liffey, Zanzibar Locke draws on its rich architectural heritage to inform its design. Developed on the site of the legendary Zanzibar Nightclub, the Georgian building has been sensitively restored by local contractors, joiners and artists to retain its original character, while combining the aspirational design, beautiful living space and custom furniture synonymous with Locke.
Each of Zanzibar Locke’s 160 studio apartments come equipped with fully fitted kitchens and living areas; as well as access to complimentary co-working, meeting and events space, workout studio, food and drink outlets and varied cultural programme. Generously sized apartments create a sense of freedom unique to the Irish market, where guests can enjoy the option of a short stay in a City Studio (average 25sqm) or retreat to a larger premium Duplex Suite (average 80sqm) for a long-term stay. The aparthotel will also house BARAZA – an all-day restaurant by local foodie favourites NolaClan, serving Irish-inspired small plates and craft cocktails.
Parent group edyn, which also operates serviced apartment brand SACO, Wittenberg in Amsterdam, and The Moorgate in London, showed resilience during the COVID pandemic, largely to its well-designed and efficiently operated brand portfolio. From March to October 2020, edyn properties maintained an average occupancy of 60% across the group; the latest addition to the Locke portfolio, Bermonds Locke, has retained an outstanding average occupancy of 75% since opening in September – cementing the brand as ‘one to watch’ in the new future of travel.
“We have been incredibly fortunate that the extended-stay sector has performed comparatively well throughout the pandemic. While this year has been challenging for us all, at edyn we have benefited from the resilience and adaptability of our business model, combined with the financial strength and long-term outlook of our investors. This allowed us to push forward with our expansion plans in a time when very few hotels were opening. Our portfolio has never felt more relevant and we look forward to further Locke openings across Europe in 2021, along with exciting transformation and growth plans for other edyn brands.” – Stephen McCall, CEO, edyn.
Having established itself as a serious contender in the long-stay market, edyn aims to sustain this performance as it expands Locke across Europe in 2021. The brand’s fourth London property is slated to launch in January in London’s vibrant Dalston neighbourhood, followed by further openings in Europe with a second location in Dublin (Beckett Locke, opening March) plus two openings in Munich (Schwan Locke and WunderLocke, opening May).
