Following the opening of ‘lean luxury’ hotels in London and Zurich, German brand Ruby will debut another property in Florence in 2023. Jenny Southan reports
After the opening of Ruby Lucy London in January 2020 and Ruby Zurich Mimi in October 2021, the Ruby Group has announced the arrival of a new hotel in Florence in Q3 2023. (The brand also has hotels in Dussedorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Cologne, Munich and Vienna.)
Set to be located on Piazza della Libertà, in the northern part of the historic centre, the 118-room hotel is being built in a historic building from the 19th century, offering exceptionally high ceilings, allowing for some of the rooms to be designed as maisonettes (a first for Ruby). The property will also have a 300 sqm Ruby Workspace, ideal for digital nomads.
Despite being a relatively “no frills” brand, Ruby has invested heavily in providing guests with an excellent night’s sleep. Under the guidance of expert sleep scientists, all rooms come eqipped with: 30cm deep pocket-sprung mattresses; extra-long duble beds; high quality, ultra-light, hypoallergenic duvets; blackout curtains; dimmable lighting and soundproofing.
Ruby hotels additionally feature bars open 24-hours that double as breakfast rooms in the morning, snacks and free tea in the Galley and self check-in via tablet computer. Ruby says: “We set out to create the best of both worlds – hotels with style and substance, but none of those expensive extras.”
Julian Mörs, group director development at Ruby, says: “We are very excited to enter the Italian market with this great project and bring our Lean Luxury philosophy to Southern Europe.
“By designing and building modularly, centralising more and automating consistently behind the scenes, we are making luxurious and unique hotel experiences affordable for our guests, while creating a leaner and more adaptable cost structure, which in turn means lower risks for our property partners. Benefits like these set us apart from other competitors and support our development activities, especially in unpredictable times.”
Founded in 2013, the Ruby Group currently operates 12 Ruby hotels, with a further 19 under construction or in the planning phase. As well as opening new properties in Europe, Ruby is expanding into Asia with a joint venture Ruby Asia, founded in 2018. Ruby also offers Ruby Workspaces in Munich, Hamburg and Dusseldorf.