Page 26 - #201 September 2025

Interview

Live the

Experience

1

A unique boutique hotel brand founded twenty years ago, Room 2
Mate Hotels is the perfect hotel stay for the creatively curious who
are seeking more than just a place to sleep. Driven by the vision
of Executive President and Founder Kike Sarasola, the company
designs hotels with the ambition of bringing back the magic of
travel. Here, RLI got the chance to chat with Kike on all things Room
Mate related.

“WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS IN THE CITY,” highlights Sarasola as soon as we ask
him about Room Mate Hotels. It is this principle that stays with the business day
in and day out through every opening and every new challenge that awaits the
company.
This stems from the founder’s idea that the best way to experience a city is
by visiting friends who live there. It is because of this that each hotel within the
portfolio is named after that of a fictional friend, has its own distinct personality
and character and features unique design concepts brought to life by exceptional
interior designers from around the world.
Room Mate Hotels believe people should be able to stay in places that embrace
originality and celebrate individuality, places that are not just in the city, but very
much part of its soul.
The brand currently operates 33 existing hotels across 15 different cities in Europe
including such world-class locations as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Florence, Geneva,
London, Madrid, Milan, Rome, San Sebastian and Venice. Within the portfolio, 23
are under the Room Mate umbrella, whilst the remaining ten are part of the recently
acquired Staying Valencia Hotels Group. These ten hotels include the award-winning
Helen Berger, as well as Oliveira Rooms and the Cosmo Hotel Boutique, which are
already part of the Room Mate Hotels portfolio. The remaining seven are situated in
Valencia and are currently being rebranded into Room Mate Hotels. 3
Meanwhile in February this year, they also purchased their first hotel in Swit-