Room Mate Alain opened in Paris last month, marking the hotel chain’s first property in France. The new hotel has a ground floor cocktail bar called Le Bar d’Alaim, a fitness center, a fully-equipped spa and the chain’s signature Wi-Fi service WiMate, which connects travelers to the internet, not just in their hotel but throughout the whole city.
Room Mate Hotels has major plans for growth, both in France and globally. Kike Sarasola, the chain’s president and founder, called the country a key market and described the company’s latest entry as “the first of many.” Around the world, Room Mate plans to double its room capacity from 1,800 to 3,600 over the next year and a half by opening 11 new hotels.
Room Mate Hotels styles its hotels to reflect the personality of its location, bringing in renowned designers like Patricia Urquiola, Lázaro Rosa Violán, Tomás Alía, Lorenzo Castillo, Pascua Ortega and Teresa Sapey. In the case of Room Mate Alain, the hotel chain hired Lorenzo Castillo, who has given the hotel a bohemian feel intended to call back to the Parisian hotels of the 1920s.
An athlete-turned-businessman, Sarasola founded Room Mate Hotels back in 2005. Originally focused in Spain, the chain has since expanded globally. Now, it includes 25 properties, with locations in Spain, the United States, the Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, Mexico and now France.
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