As Staycity Group’s new 106-apartment Wilde London Liverpool Street opens, Kelly Morgan, managing director, Wilde Aparthotels, talks to Hospitality Ireland.
This article was originally published in the Autumn 2024 issue of Hospitality Ireland Magazine, in October of 2024.
The award-winning Dublin based Staycity Group was established in 2004 by CEO Tom Walsh and his brother, Ger. They spotted a gap in the market for quality short- and longer-term-stay apartments in prime European city locations and, beginning with a single apartment in Dublin’s Temple Bar, now operate 5,300 aparthotel rooms in 32 aparthotels in 15 cities, appealing to both business and leisure travellers from across the globe.
Current locations include Berlin, Birmingham, Bordeaux, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Liverpool, London, Lyon, Manchester, Marseille, Paris, Venice and York, with more exciting cities in the pipeline.
Wilde London Liverpool Street features a structured ground floor with lobby, bar and communal space, where guests can gather, work, and eat and drink. The interior makes use of artworks, crafts and ceramics created by London-based artists. On the ground floor, a curved feature bar decorated with handmade terracotta tiles, created by O Donnell O Neill Design, is open to guests and nonresidents. The ground floor also has a coffee shop and a self-service shop.
Guests can pre-order food and drink, to stock the fridges in their apartments. Wilde is Staycity Group’s premium brand. The design-led self-catering accommodation is inspired by Irish playwright and poet Oscar Wilde and offers fully equipped studios and one bedroom apartments, sleeping up to four people.
Kelly, please tell us about starting at Staycity.
I joined Staycity Group in May 2024, taking on the role of managing director for Wilde, having previously held various positions across lifestyle brands including the Hoxton and Sanderson.
Staycity is Europe’s leading aparthotel operator, and the opportunity to work with their incredibly talented team to help grow the Wilde brand was extremely exciting for me.
What was your assessment of the hospitality market when you began this? How has that developed?
The future of travel is changing, with guests valuing the combination of apartment freedom and hotel comforts, especially if they are travelling for longer periods of time. The focus on well-being whilst on the road, as well as the need for a home-from-home environment, with the freedom to come and go as you please, cook if you want, or just make a cup of tea when you want, has also led to an increase in the numbers of guests preferring to have a kitchen as part of their accommodation, even on shorter stays.
The emergence of digital nomads, who are able to work flexibly and stay for longer, has also been an interesting development for the industry.
Please tell us about the new opening.
The latest Wilde opening is in London’s Liverpool Street and is the first to feature our redesigned logo and branding. The interior of the communal space is different to our other Wilde properties, with new design elements, including warm, welcoming tones, while the use of hand-crafted tiles, traditional Crittall screens, creative lighting and character furniture give the space a retro lifestyle vibe. A feature bar takes centre stage on the ground floor, where guests and nonresidents can enjoy London artisan gins, locally brewed beers and biodynamic wines, as well as a full range of no- and low-alcohol options.
The property has an extended food and-beverage offer – another first for Wilde – serving à la carte breakfasts, lunches and dinners, all using locally sourced ingredients. There’s also a coffee shop with barista-made coffee and a self-service shop selling gourmet meal bundles and snacks. The aparthotel offers 11 room types, including one-bed executive apartments, some with a private balcony, and a couple with terraces overlooking London.
Please tell us about your own background – where you grew up, studied, etc.
I grew up in the Middle East, living for the first 16 years of my life in Bahrain. I caught the travel industry bug from my parents, who both worked in the commercial aviation industry.
Like Wilde, my hospitality roots are in Ireland, having studied at the Shannon College of Hotel Management, in County Clare.
What first drew you to hospitality I was fortunate to be able to travel extensively with my parents, and from a very young age, I knew that I wanted to work in hotels. I was fascinated by the behind-the-scenes [elements] of the hotels we visited!
When did you first realise that you wanted to do this professionally?
At an unusually early age, I think. Many of my colleagues discovered hospitality accidently and fell in love with it. I decided by the age of 15 that I was going to be a hotel manager one day.
What was your first big role?
I think every role that I’ve had was ‘big’, for different reasons. I’ve been so fortunate to work with some incredibly inspirational and passionate leaders, who have helped me to develop and provided me with opportunities, for which I am very grateful. I consider many of them friends today.
What are people who choose Staycity looking for?
Staycity Group’s two brands – Staycity Aparthotels and Wilde Aparthotels – are both popular with both leisure and business travellers, due to the offer and the location, which are all close to the city centre, within easy reach of travel hubs. The split of business to leisure guests in most locations is about 50:50.
The aparthotel sector has grown rapidly over the past decade, across Europe and globally. Dublin-based Staycity Group, which was founded in 2004, has been at the forefront of the growth of
the sector and is now one of the leading operators across Europe, with over 5,000 aparthotel rooms in 15 cities.
The self-catering element of aparthotels, which all come with fully fitted kitchens, appeals to today’s travellers – whether young or older, travelling in groups, or on their own – by giving them the freedom to eat in or eat out and not be confined by hotel restaurant opening times, but with the facilities and service levels that a hotel has to offer. The properties have a homefrom-home feel, with great service and amenities, such as a gym, laundry, and lounge area, where people can eat, meet or work, so they are perfect for longer stays, too.
The Wilde brand – with properties in Berlin, Edinburgh, London and Manchester – offers design-led, fully equipped studios and one-bedroom apartments, sleeping up to four people. The apartments, in key European cities, are in great locations and have a few more luxury touches in the rooms, such as a Nespresso coffee machine and Smeg appliances, a super-comfy XLsized bed, rainfall shower, and highquality bed linen, complemented by a collection of Irish-inspired accessories and soft furnishings.
You have used local designers/suppliers for this. Is that important to you?
We set out to ensure the design of the new Wilde reflects its location and the rich, vibrant history of London’s East End and the people that live and work there. It’s a fabulous area, full of culture, so it was important that we brought this into our interiors with the use of artworks, ceramics and crafts from local artists. Likewise, around 70% of the food and drink we’re serving has been sourced locally, including beers, gins, cheeses and meats from local London suppliers.
What do you do when you’re not working?
When I’m not working, I enjoy spending time with my family. I have an almost four-year-old, who keeps me on my toes! You’ll also find me checking out the latest restaurants and bars, and trying to balance that out with some time at the gym, too.
Any other plans on the horizon for the next year or so?
We won’t be bored! We’re very much looking forward to bringing the brand to new cities next year, including Cambridge, Oxford, Lisbon and Porto.
Watch this space for more to come!
