Launching in the autumn, the Dutch capital will see the unveiling of the inaugural property from Zoku, a new lifestyle brand that provides guests with customisable ‘smart lofts’.
Described as a “home-office hybrids”, there will be 133 Zoku Lofts measuring 25 sqm. Each will have customisable interiors with a four-person table in the centre of the room. Furnishings will be from Danish design brand Muuto, guests will be able to choose their own art, and wifi will be free.
Zoku said: “The Zoku Loft also features a fully-equipped kitchen, cleverly designed extensive storage space, an alcove desk with office supplies, and an elevated, loft-style sleeping space, which can be accessed by a retractable staircase, and screened off to make the loft cosy, business-like or something in between.”
Guests can even keep fit, using pull-up rings attached to the ceiling, or by attending bootcamp and yoga classes.
There will also be 500 sqm of “social space” for communal living and working, and a “residential kitchen for meals and dinner parties”. Other facilities will include a bar, meeting rooms, a 24/7 shop, a treatment room, gym, games room, music room, locker room, launderette, pantry and a “decompression room” for a shower if your room isn’t ready.
Community managers will “roam the public spaces, helping with personal requests and facilitating professional and social connections through their broad networks within Zoku and the city”.
The Zoku concept has been created in conjunction with trend-forecasting agency the Future Laboratory, award-winning interior design and architecture company Concrete, and public crowdsourcing.
Chris Sanderson, co-founder of the Future Laboratory in London, said: “The merging of business and leisure represents one of the fastest-growing and dynamic business opportunities in recent years. Today’s business travellers are re-writing the rules. Their outlook on work and play demands new services and a new approach to the hospitality sectors.”
According to Zoku, the company wants to open “at least five new locations with a total of around 750 smart lofts as soon as possible”. Other possible cities include London, Paris, Berlin, Hamburg, Barcelona, Vienna and Copenhagen.