Co-living company Hmlet, a homegrown operation, Hmlet has opened its first hotel property -the Owen House by Hmlet which is a 106-room hotel located situated at 2 Owen Road in Farrer Park. This is the first hospitality property operated by Hmlet and will be run under its own name and management team.
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“As Hmlet expanded its range of services for residential customers through the years, the business has grown and developed its capability to operate as well as internal expertise in design, which is why we can enter the hospitality sector,” says Joshua Li the chief real estate officer.
“Hotels can be a natural evolution for us, in terms of being able to provide more options for accommodation and that is our value offering,” says Li. He also says that the company was considering the opportunity to establish and manage an hotels property using its brand name for a long time, but the Covid pandemic halted the plans.
So, when the opportunity was offered last year for Hmlet to join forces with TCRE Partners and JMD Group to build a hotel on 2 Owen Road, it was an opportunity Hmlet wanted to not pass up, claims Giselle Makarachvili who is the CEO of Hmlet.
The hotel’s freehold property is the previously owned Fortuna Hotel that was sold for $85.8 million in April 2022. The hotel was purchased by an entity jointly owned by JMD Group and TCRE Partners. The agreement with Hmlet was officially announced in November of last year.
The right time is now to start Owen House by Hmlet to profit from the growth in leisure and business travel to Singapore according to Makarachvili.
Other market trends that are ongoing like the escalating residential rents and the limited supply of accommodation for short-term stays in Singapore will also be a factor in the establishment of an hotel property and is likely to help the Hmlet’s selection of lodging options Li says. Li.
Modern Art Deco inspiration
The style and aesthetics at Owen House are meant to be light and playful and steers clear of being ostentatious and modernist, which could be to be considered in the area, says Li. “The concept behind the hotel is a contemporary rendition to Art Deco and the Art Deco-style shophouses that line the adjacent Rangoon Road, and Kitchener Road,” he states.
A typical feature throughout the hotel and within every room is the arches. The idea is to reflect the architectural style of Art Deco-styled shophouses. On the lower level, the lobby is adorned with a the concrete floor with a texture, and the room is accentuated by striking black and bold metallic lines.
The lobby is a major centerpiece of the hotel. Hmlet has designed it to be an open space for everyone. Its appeal is enhanced with an island-style bar named Sunlight and Moonshine that is managed through the Hotel. The bar offers grab-and-go special coffee throughout the day and then transforms into a 1920s-inspired bar at night.
Li says that the design concept is due to the design team in-house at Hmlet this is a talent does not other companies that offer flexible living in Singapore are able to offer. “The design team is very concerned about the standards of our brand throughout every one of our properties. Every space is customized to that Hmlet brand and portrayed in a unique way at each of our properties,” he says.
Owen House offers seven different rooms that are single and double-bedroom rooms with different dimensions. The smallest of them are one-bedroom queen rooms with between 189 and 275 square feet and then studios with fully equipped kitchenettes that span from 243 sq ft to 270 sq feet.
Rooms that are larger for up to four guests. These are available in the two-bedroom Deluxe and two-bedroom suites which are 450- 564 sq feet. The hotel also provides an area for families with the balcony which is 407 square feet, as well as numerous Owen Suites which come with a kitchenette as well as a eating area for long-term stays. The Owen Suites range from 374 to 439 square feet.
A wide choice of accommodations
“Before Owen House, we realized there was an unmet need in our selection for short-term stay, particularly for travelers who need to stay for less then six days,” Says Makarachvili. She adds that most business and leisure travelers to Singapore stay in Singapore for at least 3-4 nights. They use Singapore as a base to travel to other destinations across Southeast Asia.
“The goal in our company model is to appeal to all kinds of residential accommodation and demographics” the CEO says. This is why Hmlet distinguishes itself through its broad range of options for flexible accommodation.
For instance, its Hmlet Homes portfolio offers the common co-living arrangement that pairs tenants in a single unit, and includes apartments that are shared. It has proved popular with workers and students. Typically, tenants lease a space for 9 to twelve months.
Hmlet has expanded its offerings in 2021, with the development of a private residence that is turnkey known as Hmlet Nest which is aimed at expatriate couples, locals and families. It was launched due to the increasing demand for flexible living arrangements in Singapore and most families lease homes for longer than one year.
Then, the Boutique Collection comprises the 145-room Hmlet Cantonment, as well as the Owen House hotel, which has 106 rooms. Owen House hotel. Hmlet Cantonment is the operator’s largest co-living property across its portfolio to date and was introduced in the year 2019. The typical bookings at Hmlet Cantonment run under six months and the property provides one-bedroom units ranging from up to 280 sq feet and two-bedroom units ranging from between 280 and 441 square feet.
The launch the doors of Owen House, Hmlet has an array of lodging choices for very short-term stays for tourists and travelers as well as private residential leasing for couples and families, as well as long-term living choices for both individuals and corporations.
“We didn’t consider the millennials as our only target audience; instead , we want to appeal to a broad spectrum of targeted audiences, including corporate tenants, family members to professionals. Also, Owen House helps us to complete the necessary forms for the kind of short-term stays we had not considered,” says Makarachvili.
“The principal goal isn’t to lose a client and, if somebody signs an agreement to renew their lease or book rooms with us and decides to stay for longer in Singapore we can provide an option that will meet their requirements,” she says.
70% lease renewals in 2022
According to Makarachvili 2022 was, according to Makarachvili, the highest year ever recorded by the operator of flexible living has enjoyed in Singapore. A limited private rental inventory and swiftly increasing rents resulted in an extremely high percentage of lease renewals as well as inquiries.
She claims that nearly 70% of the tenants who had leases due to renewal in the last year chose to extend their leases through Hmlet. “The remainder who didn’t renew with us included groups and individuals who left across the nation.”
She also says that only a handful of people were able to leave an Hmlet property to sign the direct rental arrangement with an owner.
The general increase in residential rental prices for private homes in recent months has helped put cooperative living and other flexible properties as more reasonable and appealing for some renters Li. Li.
For the entire year 2022 the cost of renting privately owned properties in Singapore were up 29.7% y-o-y. It was the largest annual rise since 2007, when rents soared 41.2% y-o-y at the time.
“Co-living is a much more appealing option, especially when you consider the lease flexibility. With the uncertainty of the macroeconomic outlook this year, we’re more suitable for people looking to rent,” says Li.
As a well-established co-living company operating in Singapore, Hmlet has grown along with the co-living and flexible-living sector in Singapore. Li recalls that in 2018, when Hmlet closed its Series A funding as a startup, the majority of the investors who were willing to invest in it were family-owned businesses and entrepreneurs with high net worth.
“Today the co-living market is seeing institutional capital flowing into the marketplace, in addition to well-established families and funds for investment” He states. “Hmlet is always in contact with institutions across Singapore, Hong Kong, and in other markets.”
In addition, he states that the market has gone several ways to demonstrate its resilience during a time of crisis, and the co-living market in Singapore has been able to weather the Covid-19 pandemic. “Post Covid-19, co-living assets demonstrate that their yields are extremely resilient. Additionally for Hmlet we’ve proven that we are able to draw on this short-term market and provide complete operational assistance,” says Li.
Makarachvili says that the confidence investors and consumers trust for Hmlet has also increased in leaps and leaps and. “We have proven our solid market position and capability to manage and run whole building,” she says.
She also says that the majority of those seeking short- and long-term housing in Singapore as well as landlords and asset owners, realize that co-living offers more than just affordable housing options for the millennial generation. “As the result, we’ve received inquiries from people of a diverse range of professional backgrounds, age groups individuals, corporate bookings and even individual reservation requests,” she notes.
Fusion with Habyt
But, some structural changes affected the local Hmlet in the past year. Most notable was the merger it made with European co-living operator Habyt Group in April 2022. The deal resulted in Hmlet join the Habyt Group and join the portfolio comprising more than 8,000 co-living and flexible living units that are spread in 20 countries across 10 cities.
This means that Makarachvili is also in charge as director for Asia Pacific (Apac) at Habyt and Li is the head as Habyt’s head of expansion, Apac. Both report to Lucca Bovone, founder and CEO of Habyt.
Between 2020 between 2020 and 2021, Hmlet was hit by a variety of setbacks. It began in November 2020 when the company reported that it had terminated a 5-year master lease to lease and manage 43 units in Lumiere at Tanjong Pagar. In June 2021, an Australian co-living company took over one of the properties in Sydney Hmlet St. Peters. In the year 2021, Australian press reported Hmlet had left the Australian market, with a total of $500 million in unpaid debts.
According to Makarachvili the reason for merging with Habyt was meant to support Hmlet’s forthcoming regional expansion plans, and also using the global network to help its expansion.
“We make use of benefits of synergies (as members of the Habyt Group) and benefit from lead generation, exposure, greater market presence, as well as the trust of our members,” she says. “We are looking join a company with a global presence. This is a crucial element for any co-living business.”
Li claims that the business is taking a risky approach to its expansion into Asia and is looking for local real estate agents to help them access existing properties.
Hmlet currently offers co-living units located in the 23 properties located in Hong Kong, as well as co-living units situated in Tokyo, Japan. Hmlet is set to launch co-living units in six additional Tokyo residential properties by the end of the year.
In the future, Makarachvili states she believes that Kuala Lumpur residential market is one of the areas where the company hopes to see rapid growth in the coming years. It’s got all the qualities of a beautiful gateway city with the potential for affordable housing co-living to flourish and grow due to the high rents Makarachvili adds.
As per Li and Makarachvili, they’re watching closely for the rising interest rates which will raise financing costs and will also raise construction costs , which could hinder any short-term expansion plans this year. But, they are happy with the growth in the local market for hospitality and anticipate Owen House to see high and steady occupancy over the next few months.