PARIS—After opening three properties in 2018, boutique hotel brand Mama Shelter has revealed plans to open three more new hotels in Europe later this year.
With the upcoming new properties, the brand will grow from nine to 12 by the end of the year. For Mama Shelter founder Serge Trigano, the growth is happening because of AccorHotels’ investment in the company. “In 2014, AccorHotels bought a 35% stake of Mama Shelter, and it’s been a very positive relationship. It’s not only enabled us to access unchartered territory for a small family business, but we now have more than 150 developers worldwide working to promote the company concept to investors, allowing for more rapid growth,” he told Hotel Business.
Trigano said that all Mama Shelter hotels have a common thread to them—a feeling of being at home. “Mama Shelter properties are unique, boutique and cutting edge. Unlike most international hotel brands, which tend to cater to one type of audience, Mama Shelter prides itself on offering something for everyone,” he said. “We have broken the barriers between socio-demographic customer profiles and have become a destination where everyone can sleep and mingle, the same way one would do in their own home. The F&B concepts and lively common areas make our properties unique.”
The properties do have their differences, however. “While all of our hotels have a common thread, they offer unique components as well,” he said. “We make it a priority to ensure that each hotel pays homage to the local culture of its destination while maintaining their fun and artsy vibe, characteristics Mama prides itself on. This is true for the design, but also for the food and beverage experience. For example, in Belgrade, you can eat cevapis (local meatballs); in Prague, a delicious goulash; and in Paris, a generous duck hachis parmentier.”
The first property in the planned openings is the Mama Lille, in the city of the same name in the north of France near the Belgium border. The hotel, the brand’s sixth in the country, is expected to open its doors in July. “Mama Lille is more than a traditional hotel; it’s a place where guests feel the comforts of home,” said Trigano.
The hotel was designed by Jalil Amor, a protégé of Phillipe Starck, with 112 “cozy and creative rooms,” which Trigano calls both modern and functional.
Mama Lille will also offer four ateliers—artist’s workspaces—that can be rented for those who want to create.
Mama London, set to open in August, will be the brand’s first in the city, occupying a space currently housing RE Hotel London Shoreditch. “Stepping foot into Mama London feels as though you are stepping into a familiar home,” he said. “The hotel is situated in what one might describe as an English cottage, featuring hanging macramé and lace napkins, dark woody interiors and stretches of velour and a fireplace to cuddle near when it’s chilly outside. Mama London is both intimate and connected, warm in every sense of the word.”
The property has design elements specially crafted by Dion & Arles, as well as 195 rooms. It will also have several ateliers and a nearly 600-sq.-ft.-lobby, offering guests spaces to work and gather.
Mama Paris West will be the second for the hotel brand in the City of Lights, and is scheduled to open in October. Under the guidance of architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, the hotel will have 207 rooms, each designed by Dion & Arles.
“The hotel is playful, dancing with a variety of bold colors and patterns, and features all the needs of modern living with spacious king-size beds and iMac computers,” said Trigano. “With more than 4,000 sq. ft. of space devoted to communal rooms, nine ateliers and a ‘chill-out’ space, travelers have several options when deciding where to gather, create or simply hang out.”
With these new openings, Mama Shelter’s founder is looking toward the hotel brand’s future. “By the year 2021, our company will have doubled, and by 2022, our goal is to reach 25 hotels with three to four openings per year,” Trigano said. “Other properties on the horizon include Luxembourg, Santiago, Lisbon, Sao Paolo, Rome, Paris La Defense and Dubai. We are also under negotiations to open additional key properties in Africa, Australia and Asia.”
The company has also been operating a co-working concept called Mama Works since 2017, with three properties already operating. Three more are in the pipeline. HB