Yotel Plans Upscale Brand and YotelAir in City Centers
Yotel aims for 100 hotels by 2031, introducing an upscale brand and city-center YotelAir pods while expanding rapidly across Asia, including Thailand and South Korea.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Yotel targets growth from 24 properties to 100 hotels by 2031
- Developing an upscale format featuring larger rooms and food and beverage
- Adapting airport brand YotelAir into space-efficient city-center pods
- Asia leads expansion plans, targeting Thailand, South Korea, and India
Yotel is expanding its portfolio in two different directions to capture nearly every budget under Hilton's umbrella, aiming to scale its operations from approximately 24 properties to 100 hotels by 2031.
In an exclusive interview with Skift, CEO Phil Andreopoulos revealed that the company is developing new hotel formats, including a more upscale version that retains the brand's tech-focused, compact-room design while opening in superior locations with higher nightly rates to meet rising consumer demand.
The proposed upscale format will feature slightly larger rooms, upgraded bathrooms, and food and beverage options, while keeping the brand's lean staffing model intact. Furthermore, Yotel is designing a smaller city-center version of its airport-focused YotelAir brand, emphasizing space efficiency similar to capsule hotels but allowing guests to stand upright inside the pods.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
“There’s definitely demand for an upgraded product. We’re in a couple of active conversations about what that might look like.”
Phil Andreopoulos, Yotel CEO
Asia serves as a major pillar for this growth strategy. A new property in Kuala Lumpur is scheduled to open early next year, while talks are underway regarding YotelAir sites at three major Asian airports. Target destinations also include Thailand, South Korea, Jakarta, Manila, Vietnam, Australia, and conversion opportunities in India.
Yotel's affiliation with Hilton provides crucial distribution access to roughly 250 million Hilton Honors members. Unlike competitor citizenM, which sold to Marriott, Yotel retains full ownership of its brand and design standards while expecting direct channels to drive about two-thirds of its bookings.
Source: Skift
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