Accor has launched a new initiative that promises to take its Jo&Joe brand into student campuses across France.
A partnership with another French company, Aken Ecosystemes, will see the pair develop out a number of mixed use projects, combining student accommodation, hostel and hotel elements. This hybrid concept will welcome guests of all sorts, all year round, with seasonal student use being augmented by a switch to alternatives outside of term time. Already, four sites have been identified, while there is a target of at least 10 similar projects in key French cities.
Solving a Student Accommodation Shortage
There is an opportunity to build the hybrid concept, as France faces a shortage of student accommodation. Demand is outstripping supply in major university cities, prompting the search for solutions that address this issue, but which also feed into the latest evolving demand from travellers.
To some degree, the Aken Ecosystemes concept of the “hypercampus” echoes the approach taken by The Social Hub. Formerly named The Student Hotel, TSH is developing a range of sites in key European city centres, combining student living, flexible hotel accommodation, and community uses. Both concepts take account of the value in using shared spaces efficiently, and in bringing different community groups together in one building complex.
Other hybrid accommodation approaches in the market include Meininger and a&o. Both brands have a strong thread of hostel style accommodation, but also provide hotel style rooms within their format. All of these brands place a strong focus on including social spaces as a key part of their offering.
The launch project for the concept will open in Val d’Europe in Chessy, close to Paris in 2028. It will include 156 Jo&Joe branded hotel rooms, plus 113 student apartments; more than 9,000 sq metres of education and co-working spaces, a social hub with bar and restaurant, and flexible meeting room spaces. Further sites, in Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Reims, have already been identified.
“These developments will remain true to JO&JOE’s intentionally unconventional and free-spirited DNA, offering dynamic shared spaces centered around dining and urban culture,” explained Remi Ehrhart, co-founder of Aken Ecosystemes and CEO of Ynov Campus. “That distinctiveness is what will define this partnership. At a time of student housing shortages and growing isolation among younger generations, this type of lively hybrid hospitality is a compelling alternative.”
Revitalising the Pipeline
This latest initiative will revitalise the Jo&Joe pipeline. Currently the brand has little under construction, with planned sites in Guandgdong and Liupanshui in China, plus a project in Mexico. There, the 84 room hotel in Tulum will be part of a mixed use project that will include a number of retail outlets, plus a rooftop bar.
The Social Hub, meanwhile, is continuing to grow its presence in Europe. It has two pipeline projects, one in the Carcavelos district of Lisbon, and the other in the Italian city of Turin, where a project with a total of 519 rooms is in development.
