Ennismore Prioritizes In-House Design with Plans to Open 20 New Hotels in 2025 – Skift Travel News

In just 13 years, **[Ennismore](https://ennismore.com/)** has expanded from a single property to managing over 170 hotels. The company has adopted a unique strategy by keeping key operations—such as restaurant concepts, interior design, and digital marketing—in-house, rather than outsourcing to third parties.

With **[Accor](https://group.accor.com/en)** as its majority owner, Ennismore plans to nearly double its portfolio in the coming years. This year alone, it aims to open more than 20 hotels and 35 restaurants. Founder and co-CEO **[Sharan Pasricha](https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharan-pasricha-444367b0/)** emphasized that this integrated approach is vital for maintaining consistency as the company expands beyond its Western European roots.

### Global Expansion Plans

Ennismore currently has over 120 properties in development, with several notable projects underway:

– **Australia**: Three brand debuts are planned—Mondrian Gold Coast (a luxury hotel), Hyde Perth (bohemian-inspired), and 25hours Hotel Sydney (a cinema-themed property in the former Olympia Theatre).
– **Europe**: Barcelona will welcome its first SLS property, featuring over 470 rooms and a façade inspired by Mediterranean waves.
– **Miami Beach**: Ennismore is reviving the iconic Delano hotel, a hallmark of South Beach’s 1990s renaissance. The 170-room property, set to reopen in late 2025 after a multi-year renovation, will preserve its Art Deco roots while modernizing its pool scene for the Instagram generation. Last year, the Delano brand was relaunched in Dubai.
– **The Hoxton**: This flagship brand is expanding with new properties in Florence (a late-Renaissance palazzo), Edinburgh (11 connected Georgian townhouses), and Dublin (restoring the former Central Hotel and its Library Bar).
– **Middle East**: Projects include multiple Rixos all-inclusive resorts in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, as well as Mondrian Abu Dhabi and SLS Red Sea.
– **Singapore**: A Mama Shelter will open in the Orchard Road area, marking the brand’s 20th global location.
– **India and Beyond**: The company is in “active talks” to enter India and other new markets.

![Sharan Pasricha at Skift India Forum](https://skift.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Ennismore-1024×683.jpg)
*Ennismore founder Sharan Pasricha spoke at Skift India Forum on March 20, 2024.*

### Beyond Rooms: Selling Stories

Pasricha believes that the success of lifestyle hotels depends on three key factors: **creative storytelling**, **strategic space programming**, and **generating significant non-room revenue**. Ennismore properties derive over 60% of their revenue from non-accommodation sources, such as food, beverages, and experiences. These high-margin revenue streams are sustainable, Pasricha noted, and not just driven by the initial buzz of new openings.

The company’s vertical integration strategy includes in-house teams for design and food-and-beverage operations, which Pasricha credits with generating “billions in revenue.” In contrast, many large hotel groups outsource these elements, often resulting in inconsistent guest experiences.

“Hotel brands need to sweat the details—from the paint colors to the playlist—if they want to create truly memorable experiences,” Pasricha said.

While some hotel groups argue that in-house operations increase fixed costs and complexity, others, like **[Minor Hotels](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7I-UPO8IVU)**, have embraced this approach. The lifestyle hotel segment is becoming increasingly competitive, particularly in the U.S., where it now accounts for 32% of branded hotels—a significant rise from 2000, according to a **[2023 JLL Hotels & Hospitality report](https://www.us.jll.com/en/views/an-investors-guide-to-lifestyle-hotels)**.

### Digital Savvy for Scaling Up

As Ennismore scales, maintaining its “cool factor” will be a challenge. Each property must feel unique and locally relevant while aligning with its brand’s overarching narrative. Pasricha criticized the cookie-cutter approach of larger hotel groups, emphasizing the importance of tailoring experiences to specific markets. “What works in Dubai almost certainly is not going to work in Rome,” he said.

Ennismore is leveraging technology to enhance its marketing and customer targeting. Its e-commerce platform processes “hundreds of millions” in bookings annually. The company has integrated AI-powered tools from Stripe to analyze customer behavior and is experimenting with new tools to improve ad targeting.

“We spend a disproportionate amount of our time optimizing our websites and thinking like a smart e-commerce business,” Pasricha explained. This includes refining how customers find their site, improving conversion rates, and identifying high-value customers to maximize lifetime value.

### Accommodations Sector Stock Performance

The **[Skift Travel 200 (ST200)](https://data.skift.com/skift-travel-200/)** tracks the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies, including hotels, short-term rentals, REITs, and timeshares. This index aggregates the performance of companies worth over a trillion dollars into a single metric. For more details on hotel and short-term rental sector performance, check out the **[ST200 methodology](https://research.skift.com/skift-travel-200-methodology/)**.

Ennismore’s bold, integrated approach and focus on storytelling, design, and technology position it as a leader in the lifestyle hotel segment. As the company continues its rapid expansion, its ability to balance scalability with individuality will be key to its success.

Source: skift.com

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