• How was the idea for Sweet Inn born?
“Our CEO Paul Besnainou had the idea for the Sweet Inn concept while renting an Airbnb apartment in Jerusalem for the holidays, at a time when the company was experiencing rapid growth. Paul said: ‘We were two families staying in a spacious and comfortable apartment, but we lacked the services which could have rendered the experience truly optimal,’. As for a hotel, it is not only expensive but also not very practical when traveling in large groups, he explained. “There was clearly room to develop an intermediary concept, and I knew in that very moment that I would embark on this entrepreneurial adventure,” he said.”
• Describe the service Sweet Inn provides to the landlord and guest
“Sweet Inn offers travellers the chance to rent a private apartment with the benefits of inclusive hotel services such as: dedicated concierge, WiFi, hotel bedding and towels, luxury bathroom amenities – as well as options for à la carte services like airport transfers, local smartphone, housekeeping, dry cleaning, breakfast delivery and more. Described as a ‘hotel spread throughout the city’ by our CEO, we also provide a central street-level lobby with added amenities for its guests (business centre, relaxation lounge, luggage storage etc).”
“As for the landlord, Sweet Inn ensures a smooth and effective rental with a long-term lease with insurance coverage, a guaranteed monthly income, the renovation and luxury restyling of the property by our interior designers, the day-to-day maintenance of the property by our team, the compliance with the city’s residence laws and any co-ownership regulations and a thorough identification procedure upon check-in for guests’ identity verification.”
• How many apartments do you manage and where are they located?
“To date, Sweet Inn operates in seven cities in Europe and Israel (Paris, Barcelona, Brussels, Rome, Lisbon, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem) and its property portfolio consist of 350 apartments, including 100 in Paris.”
• Describe the ideal apartment property within the Sweet Inn portfolio
“Ideally located, spacious, comfortable, cosy, typical, stylish while very functional.”
• How is Sweet Inn differentiated from other serviced apartment and short term rental operating and management companies?
“Sweet Inn is both leaseholder and exclusive property manager and entrusts its in-house interior designers with the premium styling of its deluxe apartments. Unlike other management companies that use private homes during a short period of time and leave the owner’s belongings and clothes while the guests are in the apartments, Sweet Inn’s business model is a long term lease of the properties, which justifies our investments in renovations and decorations of the properties.”
“We believe interior design has that magic power of making us travel. With Sweet Inn, this journey begins when the traveller chooses his/her apartment. Before it’s rented out, each apartment is renovated and decorated by our teams of interior designers. Their goal is to instil the unique character of the area into every room while keeping the apartment very functional – which includes sufficient storage place, a comfortable living room, safe for valuable item, etc.
Therefore, a villa near the Old City in Jerusalem looks nothing like a three-room apartment near Saint George’s Castle in Lisbon. The short term rental is no longer only a base but also becomes a way to discover the city.”
•How do you distribute your inventory?
“Through our website, and via OTAs such as Booking.com, Expedia and Airbnb.”
• Travellers have many options for getaways: hotels, apartments – for whom is Sweet Inn the best choice and why?
“For groups and families, a spacious multi-bedroom Sweet Inn apartment is a good value for money option. With a completely furnished kitchen (including utensils, refrigerator, microwave, toaster, dishwasher, and Nespresso machine) and a comfortable and spacious interior (including cable TV, high speed Wifi, closets, five-star hotel standard bed, bathroom amenities, and safe) our guests can keep their habits even away from home. Some of our apartments even have several beds in the same room – ideal for limiting travelling expenses without forgoing individual space and comfort.”
• Is there a minimum length of stay? What is the average length of stay, and who is your most profitable guest?
“Sweet Inn enjoys a wide range of guests’ profiles due to its property type segmentation at each destination. Among our clients you can find young couples who like to enjoy the vivid areas of Bairro Alto in Lisbon, or a three-generation family traveling to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. We also have business travellers who come for two-week missions in Brussels, or celebrities who want to stay in a luxury apartment on the Champs-Elysées in Paris. The length of stay also varies between destinations, with a global average of three nights per stay.”
• Which cities and countries is Sweet Inn looking to expand to?
“Sweet Inn will continue its european expansion with the opening of several new destinations, starting with Amsterdam, Milan and London at the end of 2017.”
• What’s the outlook for Sweet Inn?
“We want to become a travel tech company. These days we are examining the smart home IOT domain to be integrated as part of our product offer in the apartments. We will have a voice control of the apartment facilities such as lighting, audio and air conditioning. Additionally, we are working on a mobile app which will open the door, and provide personal services such as Spotify, Netflix etc. into the home cinema systems. Our guests will find insider favourites provided by our local teams (restaurants, museums, bars, activities etc), appliance instructions and other practical information about the apartment and they will be also able to order any hotel services they want directly from the app, in one or two clicks. We are looking forward to seeing our clients’ reaction once they try the future of personalised hospitality products integrated with smart home devices to enrich their vacation experience.”</p
