citizenM has thrown open the doors of the first-ever hotel to be built on the Meta campus in Menlo Park, Calif. Located on the campus headquarters of global technology pioneer Meta, citizenM Menlo Park opened on November 27.
citizenM’s signature high-tech hotel marks the brand’s arrival at Meta’s Frank Gehry-designed campus and is its second hotel in the Bay Area, the company said in a release. The hotel has been designed by citizenM’s long-term architecture partner, concrete and local company, Baskervill.
The five-story hotel spans 79,400 square feet and offers 240 modern and luxury modular rooms. While reducing construction waste by up to 60%, the brand’s modular design lowers the duration of development by three to four months, compared to a hotel built using conventional methods.
Guests and Meta employees can access several amenities, which include an indoor-outdoor lobby, a gym and the 24/7 canteenM. The hotel features four meeting rooms, which can be rented for the entire day or half a day by Meta employees and also by internal and external guests.
The hotel’s patio also has a permanent food truck with rotating food concepts. In the coming months, Meta will be outsourcing the restaurant area to an operator of their choice.
Aiming to reduce local traffic, citizenM Menlo Park will offer guests to use bicycles to guests. At least 25% of the hotel’s staff will comprise residents, the company stated in a release.
Ensuring its commitment to sustainability, the hotel has been built aligning with environmental standards, which include energy efficiency, water conservation and waste reduction. The hotel aims to secure LEED Gold certification, which matches citizenM’s broader approach to sustainability.
All other hotels in citizenM’s portfolio either have green building certifications or are on their way to achieving them.
“We are thrilled to be opening up in Menlo Park, as this city has become one of the country’s largest tech hubs. citizenM has always been designed to bridge remote and in-person work with private nooks and work options in our Living Rooms, plus societyM meeting rooms. This dynamic property will offer something completely unique to anything else in the area for Meta employees and mobile citizens alike,” said Robin Chadha, citizenM’s chief brand officer.
citizenM believes in featuring “affordable luxury” in its rooms, which showcases the brand’s commitment to high-tech amenities. This includes XL king-sized wall-to-wall beds, HD widescreen TVs with streaming options, rain showers and iPADs to control the room’s ambiance.
The hotel showcases art commissioned by local artists, including Alexandra Bowman and the Bay Area-based ceramicist and painter Woody De Othello. In-room artworks were sourced in partnership with Jonathan Carver Moore.
citizenM first began its journey to Menlo Park in 2016, when Meta (back then Facebook) unveiled plans for the campus and was looking for a hotel developer. Following several rounds of talks, citizenM eventually secured the bid to develop the property beating 18 competing hotel brands. Construction of the hotel began in 2020.
citizenM Menlo Park is the brand’s 32nd hotel to open worldwide and is the second hotel in the U.S. to open this year, following the opening of citizenM Miami Center. At present, the company has 14 hotels in the U.S. and 32 globally. citizenM has more openings slated in 2024 in destinations like Austin, Boston and another Miami hotel in South Beach.