Artyzen Hospitality Group to Bring citizenM Hotel Brand to Asia

Artyzen Hospitality Group, the hotel management subsidiary of Shun Tak Holdings, is bringing citizenM hotels - a new lifestyle hotel brand - to Asia.

Launched in 2008 in Amsterdam, citizenM is the brainchild of Rattan Chadha (founder and former CEO of the fashion brand Mexx).

"citizenM offers a new type of hotel experience for sophisticated travellers. People who value personal choice, contemporary design, user- friendly technology and the proximity to a city - for an astonishing price," said Mr. Chadha.

citizenM hotels have recreated the modern traveler's lobby experience by introducing the living room concept, which presents multiple zones to relax, meet and work. The living rooms are filled with inspiring art and designer furniture by Vitra. Another highlight is the food and beverage concept called canteenM, which features a full cocktail bar and food 24/7.

citizenM currently has hotels located in London, Glasgow, Amsterdam City and at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, one of Europe's major airport hubs.

In early 2014, the group will open its first property in New York (Times Square) and Rotterdam.

Current hotels under development include three more properties in London (Tower Hill, St. Pauls, Shoreditch), Paris (Charles de Gaulle Airport) and New York (Bowery).

Artyzen Hospitality Group and citizenM hotels have set up a joint venture operating company - Artyzen citizenM Asia Limited - to introduce and manage the rollout of the citizenM brand in Asia.

"Artyzen citizenM Asia Limited" shall own the perpetual rights and concept to the brand in Asia exclusively and will grow the brand distribution through hotel management agreement with owners and investors.

"We already have a strong team of industry experts under Artyzen Hospitality Group with offices in Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and soon Shanghai. This will provide citizenM hotels with ample resource and market knowledge to support the expansion of the brand in Asia," said Robbert van der Maas, President of Artyzen Hospitality Group.

The key priority is to identify and establish flagship citizenM hotels in major gateway cities in Asia such as Hong Kong, Taipei, Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore and Jakarta.

"With the success we have had in Europe, it is natural that our next growth phase be in Asia. Choosing the right partner was our main strategic priority and we are ecstatic to be able to partner with Artyzen who are innovators themselves and have the resources to grow citizenM in Asia," Mr. Chadha added.

In addition to the Asia roll out, the company has plans to expand in major cities like Milan, Barcelona and Istanbul.