Though it usually uses other developers' apartments to run pop-up hotels, a local lodging startup now wants to do some building of its own.
WhyHotel, a D.C.-based hospitality service that operates pop-up hotels in newly built apartment buildings during the lease-up phase, is launching a new business unit called Hospitality Living with the help of new executives and a San Francisco office.
Led by the recently appointed SVP of acquisitions and development, Will Hu, Hospitality Living will turn WhyHotel into a part-time developer. It plans to build high-rise urban developments that permanently use the WhyHotel pop-up model.
With a focus on building design, Hospitality Living will deliver WhyHotel's regular guest experience while creating a flexible-use real estate asset that can switch between apartment and hotel use. The company is targeting 2022 for the first Hospitality Living buildings to open.
“Since the '90s, what the real estate development community has affectionately called mixed-use properties are in reality inflexible, ‘stacked-use' assets. Every space is separate and built for a single use,” CEO Jason Fudin said in a statement. “The launch of Hospitality Living will allow us to focus on the next phase of our company, the evolution of buildings into truly flexible assets."
The new mission also expands WhyHotel’s geographic footprint, as it plans to open a satellite office on the West Coast. Hu, who will lead the division, previously worked for Prado Group, a San Francisco-based developer.
In addition to Hu, WhyHotel brought on Rohit Anand in an advisory role as experience visioneer. Previously, Anand founded an architectural firm and most recently Con.jun.ction, a consulting company focused on bringing innovative products to market. Miguel Oliveira also joined the startup as its first chief marketing officer. He most recently ran the global digital commerce and marketing team at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
The executive moves didn't stop there. It hired Heather Schwager as VP of people experience and Logan Gaskill as VP of East Coast operations, and promoted Nathan Raymond to VP of real estate and partnerships and Jason Kamen to VP of West Coast operations.
WhyHotel will continue to launch pop-up hotels in additional markets while building up the Hospitality Living division.
The startup, incubated at Vornado Realty Trust, raised $10 million in funding late last year as it launched hotels in Northern Virginia and began a national expansion. Its backers include Highland Capital Partners and two D.C.-based investors – Camber Creek and Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund – among others.
