Zoku kicks off international expansion
Dutch hospitality brand Zoku has announced the launch of two new properties in Copenhagen and Vienna, laying the foundation for the brand’s international roll-out when they open in 2020.
With the opening of Zoku Amsterdam in 2016, the brand defined a new category in the hospitality industry. By combining the features of hotels, residential homes and co-working spaces, Zoku delivered travellers with an urban homebase to live and work for a few days or a few months, as well as a relaxed place to socialise with like-minded locals and guests from around the world.
To carry the vision into new markets, Zoku is seeking partnerships with forward-thinking developers and investors in cities across Europe and North America. The Zoku team works closely with municipalities and real-estate partners to choose locations that complement and integrate with the surrounding neighbourhood, as well as providing accessibility to the city’s business, culture and entertainment areas.
“It’s clear that the future of urban developments must be more ambitious than just traditional, single-use buildings,” says Marc Jongerius, co-founder and Managing Director at Zoku. “Our partnerships with NREP/Tetris in Copenhagen and IG Immobilien in Vienna show the appetite from developers, investors, and municipalities to bring the Zoku concept to new locations. Our ambition is to partner with the best developers in each market to create a fresh and unique destination that fits with the local context.”
Situated on the Amager island close to the city centre, Zoku Copenhagen will accommodate 160 lofts – the largest number in the brand’s portfolio so far – as well as a large meeting and events space. Copenhagen’s City Council chose Zoku to develop the site on its ability to realise the potential of local communities through innovative partnerships with other businesses. The new property will be shared with an organic-focused supermarket as well as the co-working concept Woods.
Rasmus Norgaard, co-founder and Partner at NREP, adds: “We are constantly on the lookout for customer-centric, future-proof concepts that create investment value and we are very pleased to have found Zoku as a partner. Combining Woods with Zoku will create a unique mixed-use scheme in Scandinavia.”
Zoku Vienna, meanwhile, comprises 131 lofts and will feature an additional co-working space on the building’s ground floor. Set to open in early summer 2020, the development will be located in the IG Immobilien group’s new Prater Glacis complex – close to the city’s emerging 2nd district of Leopoldstadt – with links to the University of Economics and Business, the Exhibition & Congress Centre and Prater, a public park that is known for its giant ferris wheel.
Hermann Klein, Managing Director at IG Immobilien, a subsidiary of the Austrian National Bank, explains: “Zoku is a modern and relatively young brand, yet it has already proved its innovative concept is a worthy investment. We see Zoku as a great addition to our investment portfolio.”
Each Zoku location is designed to facilitate interactions between like-minded travellers and locals. Bold social spaces, shared dining and rooftop terraces with outdoor gardens make the properties a relaxed place for people to connect and collaborate.
Hans Meyer, co-founder and Managing Director at Zoku, concludes: “In the digital era, offline interactions have never been more important, and we actively facilitate those human connections at Zoku. We’ve worked closely with our target audience to put people at the centre of our design so we can deliver maximum value and relevance to our guests. We want to grow internationally, help build the cities of tomorrow, and push the world forward with smarter solutions.”
