Dive Brief:
- Hospitality and multifamily operator Placemakr launched a pop-up hotel offering apartment-style accommodations with hotel-level service at The Stacks, a nearly 7-acre, mixed-use community in Washington, D.C.’s Buzzard Point neighborhood, according to a release obtained by Hotel Dive.
- Placemakr Buzzard Point offers more than 120 fully furnished studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units within The Byron, a luxury apartment complex managed by Greystar, according to the release. The apartment-style pop-up hotel is bookable for short-term stays for a limited time.
- The hotel opens as Placemakr expands its hospitality concept to luxury multifamily properties nationwide. The company is among hotel players like Marriott International and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts plotting growth in the apartment-style hotel sector as travelers increasingly seek upscale long-term accommodations.
Dive Insight:
Placemakr’s pop-up hotels temporarily operate a select number of units in newly constructed luxury apartment buildings. In addition to providing short-term apartment-style accommodations, the concept offers access to the multifamily buildings’ on-site amenities.
Placemakr Buzzard Point, specifically, has access to The Byron’s 10,000-square-foot gym with a cold plunge, a sauna, a recovery room and outdoor workout spaces. The property also offers a multisport simulator, coworking space, lounge areas, a game room with billiards and indoor and outdoor terraces with firepits.
The D.C. concept launches as Placemakr expands both its pop-up and permanent hospitality offerings nationwide. The company has another pop-up hotel in Santa Clara, California, as well as permanent locations in San Antonio, Atlanta and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Pittsburgh property opened in January, offering a mix of residential units and short-term lodging. At the time, Placemakr stated that Pittsburgh was experiencing a surge in demand for flex-living solutions, reflecting a “broader shift in how people prefer to live and work, seeking accommodations that can adapt to their changing needs.”
Hospitality pros shared with Hotel Dive in January that travelers are increasingly seeking flexible, upscale long-term accommodations, particularly in urban and dense suburban areas.
To cater to that demand, hotel players are expanding in the sector. Marriott, for example, is converting hotels under its Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy brand and last year inked a strategic licensing agreement with Sonder Holdings that added 9,000 rooms primarily comprising apartment-style accommodations.
Wyndham, meanwhile, is growing its upscale extended stay portfolio through a partnership with residential hospitality management company Reside. And Mint House recently acquired Austin, Texas-based Locale, expanding its alternative accommodations portfolio.
