"Youth Hub": new hotel chain to launch in Basel

Ibex Gruppe AG is planning a student hotel at Steinentorstrasse 35 in Basel. According to the planning application, the existing building is to be demolished on the courtyard side and a conversion is planned on the street side. A restaurant is planned for the first floor. As the company announced in response to an IB inquiry, the hotel is currently planned to have 131 rooms. The designs are by Wiel Arets Architects AG from Zurich, which, according to Ibex, is acting as general planner and chief architect for the group.

In the long term, Ibex Group AG plans to develop a portfolio of 1,500 to 2,500 hotel rooms to be operated under "The Youth Hub" brand. "In order to achieve its goals, the Ibex Group has secured financing amounting to CHF 125 million in equity, which is to be successively invested over the next two to three years in a total investment volume of CHF 350 to 400 million, spread over ten to 15 hotels with at least 100 rooms each," Daniel Vicentini, Head of Finance and Controlling, said in response to an IB inquiry. In addition to Basel, talks and negotiations are currently underway regarding the acquisition of various plots of land for the development and realization of student hotels in Pratteln (240 rooms), Allschwill (200), Winterthur (180), Lugano (100), Bern (255), Lausanne (220) and Geneva (230 rooms).

Duration of stay up to 3 months

The concept focuses on a young target group, primarily the so-called "Y" and "Z" generations and the next generation ("Alpha") born from 2012 onwards. The aim is to create "a place to linger, exchange ideas, learn from each other and generate innovation". The facilities and services will include bars, restaurants, learning and co-working areas, room cleaning, laundry service and, depending on the location, fitness studios and possibly also cinemas. Rooms can be booked per night or per week, with a maximum stay of up to three months. The concept is reminiscent of "The Student Hotel", which was launched in Amsterdam a few years ago and is now represented throughout Europe, but has since been renamed "The Social Hub".

Behind the Ibex Group, which was founded in Basel in 2020, is Steven Jan Stroband, founder and majority shareholder of the Dutch Capricorn Capital Group BV, a real estate development and investment company that reportedly began operations in 2014.

Ibex sees growing market and tight supply

Ibex states that it prefers to purchase the properties it uses and is looking for locations in the university cities of Basel, Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Lausanne, St. Gallen, Winterthur, Zurich and Lugano. Land and buildings with the possibility of constructing at least 100 to 150 units with 18 to 30 square meters of rooms or a total of at least 2,500 square meters of net usable space or 4,000 square meters including communal areas are being considered. Ibex estimates that there is a shortage of around 40,000 student beds in Switzerland. The total number of students in the eleven largest cities will increase by 12% from 260,000 in 2020/2021 to 291,000 in 2025/2026. (aw)