Hotelier of the week: Alex Apostolakos

Nov 23, 10 | 1:59 am

Sara Turner speaks to Alex Apostolakos about the rise and rise of boutique hotels. He is the general manager of the recently opened Hotel Indigo, Intercontinental Hotel Group's new boutique brand, in Tower Hill.

How did the opening go?

Hotel Indigo London - Tower Hill opened on July 1. We opened with a small inventory, then filled up the remaining rooms by the end of July. It was a busy London period and it was quite significant for us, because we opened up with good occupancy and with good rates. It was a tremendous success.

July was a strong month and held up significantly better than we all thought, and better than many cities in the world. I think only Berlin as a European city did as well. And I think the resilience that London has shown over the years has again proved right this time. I guess now that the industry is turning and clients are having the confidence to buy again, the coffers are turning.

Do you have many business travellers on the books?

This area is primarily business. There is some leisure over the weekend, but at the core of our business is the corporate client who stays one or two nights. We are near the city, and a number of major insurance companies and we benefit from that. And we are so close to all the major attractions in London, such as Tower Bridge and the Tower of London.

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Source: ABTN