Page 22 - March 2020

Lean Luxury between midscale and upscale, the psychographic of the ruby coco hotel & bar
Dusseldorf, Germany
“The main target group that we cater for is anywhere
Cosmopolitan Avantgarde. What we try to do is understand
this psychographic better than our competitors and deliver
on the expectations of the individuals to a greater extent
than our peers in the field,” explains Struck.
To Ruby Hotels, luxury means laid-back comfort instead The company’s choice of target guest was one that was
consciously taken, also because of this particular section
of formalities, inspiring people instead of expensive facades of the population is extremely active online and one that
the business was best able to converge with in relation
and character and soul instead of polished surfaces. In this to for direct and online bookings. There is a team behind-
interview, RLI sits down with company CEO & Founder the-scenes that run all the social media platforms, keep
dialogue open with guests and build relationships even
Michael Struck to learn more about the brand as it embarks after the door is closed on their stay at Ruby.
To conclude the interview, we asked Struck what he
on its largest expansion pipeline to date. would say is the ethos of Ruby?
“I would say that Ruby has five values, the first of these is
joy. The second is authenticity, we don’t ask staff members
to say and act differently than they would outside of our
properties and this goes through to design, there will never ruby marie hotel
unich-based Ruby Group is breaking new In the future Struck also wants to grow and extend the be cheap materials in a Ruby Hotel, it is true vintage. The Viena, austria
ground with its ground-breaking philosophy. By brand beyond hotels and they have taken the first steps third is diversity, I believe that our character is having a
incorporating a lean organisational structure to this with the workspaces, but they are also working on multitude of assets, being true to ourselves and that
M and concentrating only on the essentials, Ruby some more extensions and brand extensions. attracts people from all walks of life. The fourth is courage
has created a contemporary and affordable form of luxury for In the next 12 months the target is to open three to four because we always try and do something new and you
the current cost- and style-conscious customers. properties in Europe and an additional three to four in China. have to have the courage and the ability to make mistakes.
Founded just seven years ago, Ruby Hotels already has As well as wanting to expand in the US, Australia and Finally I would say community, because we strive for the
27 hotels under contract, of which eight are open and Japan are also locations the Group have been working hard family spirit, for people to feel like they belong when they
operating, with the remaining 19 either in the planning to bring to completion in the last couple of years, but they stay in a Ruby Hotel.”
or the construction phase. As well as its hotel portfolio, are not in a rush to expand and want to establish a presence
Ruby also operates Ruby Works, a five-strong collection in the US before moving onto these additional locations. “The main target group that we
of perfectly equipped workspaces in major cities. Sites An unusual aspect of Ruby Hotels is that when searching for cater for is anywhere between
are already open in Munich and Hamburg, with upcoming new properties, the buildings they usually select are not already
openings due in Düsseldorf, Cologne and Vienna, with each existing hotel buildings. The company normally starts with an midscale and upscale, the
offering a creative ambience to inspire office communities. office building, a retail building or even a green field development psychographic of the Cosmopolitan
Of the 27 hotels, five of them are across China with the as it is the location that attracts Ruby and not the building itself.
rest in Europe in cities such as Vienna in Austria, Munich, When talking about peers in the market, Struck explains Avantgarde. What we try to do
Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Stuttgart in Germany, that this is essentially anyone in the lifestyle segment with ruby lilly hotel & bar
Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland and London in the UK. the price point that is below ultra-luxury because that is is understand this psychographic munich, Germany
“The past year has been a very intense one that has involved the clientele the company caters to. better than our competitors and
us signing more deals than we have in any other year,” explains What it is that Ruby Hotels does though is offer its beds,
Michael Struck, CEO & Founder of Ruby Hotels. “I also took showering facilities, multimedia and connectivity offerings, deliver on the expectations of the
on board another shareholder which brings us up to six. This aesthetics, ambience and ergonomics, but they do all this in individuals to a greater extent
latest one is the largest we have ever signed and will hopefully a smaller footprint, utilising a lot of what they’ve learnt in
assist us as we look to enter the US market.” the last seven years to perfect this lean style. than our peers in the field”

ruby lucy hotel ruby lucy hotel
london, uK london, uK

ruby leni hotel
Dusseldorf, Germany