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The Social Hub: a lot more than just a student hotel 

When The Student Hotel opened its first property in Rotterdam in 2012, it aimed to attract young travelers and students looking for a fun place to stay, connect, work and share experiences. But as the spaces also featured coworking and event spaces, bars, lounges and gyms, the hotels naturally evolved to become much more than simply students’ hotels. Today, with travel trends as they are, hotels attract a more diverse population, like digital nomads and entrepreneurs. Its natural evolution made it more than a student hotel and begged for a name change.  

With a valuation of €2.1 billion (US$2.11 billion) in its last funding round, the Amsterdam-based company in October rebranded as The Social Hub to better reflect its hybrid hospitality offering, connecting guests and the local community. The US$5 million spent on the rebrand also reflects guests’ needs for flexible spaces that allow people to connect and find community.

The Social Hub Barcelona lobby

With more than 11,000 rooms across Europe open and under development, the company has achieved its mission of “students deserve better.” 

“As we have grown and evolved, we became aware that despite our inclusivity and openness to welcome everyone, our name was still excluding so many community members,” says The Social Hub Founder and CEO Charlie MacGregor. 

“Our biggest, clearest ambition, however, is to build these spaces where people can come together to learn, grow and make meaningful connections. We want to be part of a society, a community that does better, looks out for its members and works together for positive impact.” – Charlie MacGregor

The company’s present portfolio includes 13 properties, with the rebranding coinciding with the launch of multi-million-euro properties in Madrid and Barcelona in Spain. The Social Hub’s openings this year are part of the first phase of its expansion strategy to increase its portfolio by 100% with seven additional properties slated to launch by 2025. 

In conversation with HOTELS, MacGregor spoke about the recent rebrand, The Social Hub’s growth plans, performance projections and long-term opportunities.  

HOTELS: What prompted the decision to rebrand The Student Hotel as The Social Hub?  

Charlie MacGregor: We have been operating as The Student Hotel since 2012 when we opened our first property in Rotterdam. With our hotels across Europe, we feel we achieved our mission that ‘students deserve better.’ But our properties have been open to more than students since the beginning — digital nomads, entrepreneurs, and travelers are all part of our community and have been from the start. 

The Social Hub Barcelona rooftop pool

Indeed, we pioneered the hybrid hospitality model. As we have grown and evolved, we became aware that despite our inclusivity and openness to welcome everyone, our name was still excluding so many community members. So, it was time for a change. We had planned to do it pre-pandemic but then postponed the plans until travel became more stable. 

H: What is the estimated cost of rebranding? 

CM: We’ve spent around €5 million (US$5.03 million) on the rebrand, which includes everything from hotel signage, to branded assets and digital assets.   

The Social Hub Barcelona rooftop pool

H: What is your projected ROI? 

CM: Our new name doesn’t change how we operate, what we do, or what we charge – it was an opportunity to have a name that represented better what we were doing so well. Our amazing teams stay the same — we bring our soul, values, and experiences with us to our next chapter. This is an amplification of what made us special as The Student Hotel, but with a more representative name.  

H: What challenges do you expect to face which will need addressing as you pivot with the rebranding?  

CM: We, of course, need to ensure that students know they are still very much at the heart of our brand and make sure that our other stakeholders and guests know they are welcome to work, stay, learn and play with us. 

The Social Hub Madrid communal kitchen

H: What has been the biggest change to the concept with the rebranding? 

CM: The concept is not changing, but we have used the rebranding to launch two new incredible properties in Madrid and Barcelona, where we have some fantastic spaces that are designed to facilitate conversations, connections, and welcome people through our doors. 

H: How will the rebranding help your growth plans? Do your plans include acquiring existing assets? Any plans of adding an equity partner? Will you be building from the ground-up? 

 CM: A few months ago, we announced our new equity partners — GIC and APG — and, with them, hope to double our property portfolio. After opening in Barcelona and Madrid last month, we already have five more properties in development to be opened in 2023 and 2024, a mixture of new-build and renovated sites. We are always approached for new development opportunities, so really pleased to be able to share our dreams for the future both across Europe and potentially globally.  

H: How much will you be investing in the near term? 

CM: We invested around €60 million (US$60.44 million) at each property in Barcelona and Madrid to create The Social Hubs in those locations. In addition, we are looking to invest in retrofitting some of our initial properties to increase co-working, event and social spaces.  

The Social Hub Madrid deluxe studio room

H: How is the portfolio performing this fall and what is the forecast ahead?  

CM: Our new properties in Barcelona and Madrid have exceeded our best expectations in regard to future bookings, and we expect to see around 50,000 guests across both properties with 1,000 new co-working members. 

H: What are the bigger, long-term opportunities? 

CM: We are pleased to be making clear commitments to our communities that we are a socially driven and responsible business. We are starting our work towards our B Corp Certification in 2023, as well as working on several environmental initiatives. Our biggest, clearest ambition, however, is to build these spaces where people can come together to learn, grow and make meaningful connections. We want to be part of a society, a community that does better, looks out for its members and works together for a positive impact.  

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