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Best known for its budget flat-pack furniture, the Scandinavian retailer Ikea is planning on launching a chain of budget hotels across Europe. The property division of Ikea is planning to build hotels in one hundred locations across Europe, with the first two hotels expected to open in Germany in two year’s time.
Other locations earmarked for their hotels include Belgium, the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, Britain and Poland. Harald Muller, a Brussels-based business development manager of Ikea’s property division said: “We’re aiming to spread all over Europe.”
Although the chain won’t use Ikea’s name or their budget furniture, it will engrain the Ikea philosophy of ‘good quality at a reasonable price’. The hotels will have a Scandinavian feel because the interior will be made by Nordic designers. Ikea already owns a handful of hotels in Europe since the start-up of their property division in the late 1990s, but will work with another company to operate this new chain.
We all know that Ikea is a great place to get cheap and cheerful flat-packed furniture (and can be a godsend for cash-strapped students!) But if you are looking for some solidly built furniture pieces or home accessories which have personality, then look no further than The Orchard to furnish your home. Ikea has its place, and we look forward to seeing what its hotels can come up with certainly, but for furniture and home accessories with heart, step away from that big blue and yellow sign!
