The brand, Lyf (pronounced as “life”), signifies a new way of living, which revolves highly around co-living and co-working.
Ascott is unveiling a new brand that goes beyond traditional hospitality concepts and is designed for and managed by millennials.
The brand, Lyf (pronounced as “life”), signifies a new way of living, which revolves highly around co-living and co-working.
Said Lee Chee Koon, chief executive officer of Ascott, “Millennials already form a quarter of Ascott’s customers and this segment is poised to grow exponentially. Lyf is a unique accommodation tailored for this demographic…we do not define millennials by age but instead they are a social generation who crave discoveries and desire to be part of a community.”
Unlike conventional serviced apartments, the properties will be managed by Lyf Guards – millennials who may be residents themselves, community managers, city and food guides, bar keepers and problem solvers.
Lyf Guards, guests and partners can conduct workshops with local craftsmen, hackathons with local start-up accelerators or innovation talks.
Within the property, there will be ‘Connect’ communal spaces, i.e co-working areas that can be transformed into zones for workshops or social gatherings.
Residents can hang out at ‘Wash & Hang’ while they wait for their laundry, and prepare home-cooked meals or take cooking classes at ‘Bond’ social kitchen.
Apartment layouts on offer range from ‘Big Bed’ rooms (studios) to ‘Two of a Kind’ rooms (two private rooms with a shared kitchen) and ‘All Together’ business suits, with smart display screens optimised for video conferencing and large tables for collaboration.
According to Lee, the brand is open to both investment and management contracts to meet the growing demand for “such co-living spaces” including Australia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
Ascott aims to achieve its global target of 80,000 units by 2020 through Lyf and its other brands.