Specialist hotel management company Hotel Co 51 has launched the Element by Westin long stay hotel in Wroclaw, Poland. The property is only the second example in Europe of the Element brand, and acts as a showcase for the latest iteration of the Marriott group’s format.
For the European operator, the property will be its second in Poland, and adds a fifth Marriott brand to its growing portfolio. The 115 room hotel is designed around an extended stay format, with smaller studio style rooms and larger more family-oriented rooms too. To ensure a home from home feeling, all the rooms are equipped with a kitchen, and separate living area. The brand is also dog friendly, further expanding its appeal; while a laundry room is also available.
Designed for a great long stay experience
Acknowledging some of the issues that long stay business guests experience, such as loneliness, the Element brand has a complimentary breakfast, offered in its Salon restaurant. Four evenings a week at 6.30pm, the hotel team hosts a socially-oriented reception to provide guests with an opportunity to meet fellow guests over a drink.
The Element Wroclaw is located to the east of the city centre, within the newly developed Wroclaw Business Garden that has already grown to become one of Poland’s largest business parks. With businesses on the park including international companies in sectors including pharmaceuticals and IT, there is a steady demand for long stay accommodation locally.
The addition of the Element brand to the Hotel Co 51 portfolio means the business now manages over 40 properties under five Marriott brands. It is Europe’s leading manager of Moxy branded hotels, while also including AC by Marriott, Courtyard and Residence Inn in its portfolio. Among those properties are a dual branded site in Dortmund, Germany where a 191 room Moxy hotel sits alongside a 120 unit Residence Inn, providing significant operating efficiencies.
The company is owned by European development group Vastint, which develops a variety of commercial properties across the continent, and Hotel Co 51 was split out as a separately branded division in 2020. Its current pipeline includes new Moxy branded hotels in Newcastle and Scheveningen, and an additional hotel in Dusseldorf, adjacent to one of the city’s metro stations. And alongside Hannover’s exhibition complex, the group has plans to add 43,000 sq m of commercial space on a site that will also include the construction of a 225 room conference hotel.
Growing the team
During 2024, the business strengthened its team with the appointment of Wayne Androliakos as its new CEO, after previous incumbent Tobias Linder returned to Vastint group to head up asset management. Androliakos joined Hotel Co 51 in 2022 as regional director of operations, having spent many years in hotel operations with Cycas Hospitality and Generator.
Arriving shortly after him was Donovan Sumner, who became regional director of operations in the UK. Sumner’s responsibilities extend to 17 Marriott branded hotels, of which 15 are Moxy’s – and include overseeing a hotel he previously launched as general manager, Moxy Aberdeen airport.