The launch of MM:NT Berlin Lab marks a pioneering move by award-winning apartment hotel operator, Adina Hotels Europe – owned and operated by Australia’s International Hotel Group, TFE Hotels.
MM:NT Berlin Lab, an ever-evolving mini hotel laboratory, will operate in an on-going beta mode, continually gathering feedback from guests to redefine stays and enable TFE to reshape hospitality products in the future.
According to TFE Hotels’ CEO, Antony Ritch, this innovative and agile approach to hotel development is set to be extremely beneficial for the evolution of new brands and hospitality experiences and will assist TFE in bringing them to market quicker than a traditional hotel build.
To bring MM:NT Berlin Lab to life, Adina Hotels in Europe has partnered with Häfele, Germany’s leading supplier of architectural hardware systems, furniture fittings, electronic access control and LED lighting, to combine their core respective strengths in technology and hospitality to set new standards in space-efficiency.
Together, the MM:NT Berlin Lab team is currently conducting a two-month experiment where guests are invited to stay for free and provide real-time qualitative feedback of the hotel design, public spaces, and overall experience. This fresh new approach to hospitality development with its agile learning process, allows the hotel design experience to adapt and shift to travel trends and customer needs and wants. To tap into Gen Z and Millennial travellers, MM:NT Berlin Lab took to social media to recruit these first-in guests.
The trial will see recruited guests test out six different rooms, all with their own unique design approach spanning the look and feel, storage solutions, room flow and bathroom styles. The beta hotel also enables TFE Hotels, together with Häfele, to refine and alter MM:NT Berlin lab offering and guest experience in real-time with real guests – something not usually possible when opening a hotel.
Six stylish yet minimalist room designs, small footprint, and thoughtful use of sustainable materials deliver on delivers cost, space, and energy efficiency. And, through rigorous testing, MM:NT Berlin Lab has removed the clutter and instead focused on those all-important essentials for today’s modern traveller – low-key, high-style spaces that mix thoughtful design, with smart storage. Put simply, it’s a considered touch, with comfort and convenience in equal measure.
Driving their mission is a desire to create consciously crafted hotels the materials used are already in re-use, return or recycle phase. The Berlin Lab will operate with a self-serve model, providing easy-to-use in-room digital functions. A concierge web based mobile app enhances the overall guest experience, allowing guests to check-in, check-out, open spaces, access shared amenities and communicate with staff. What’s more, mindful of its digital footprint, MM:NT’s website and app are run entirely on green energy. Off-line, this progressive mindset is also highlighted by The Hub, a communal space at MM:NT Berlin Lab that allows guests to have food, groceries and laundry securely delivered.
Adina Europe’s Chief Executive Officer, Asli Kutlucan, said the MM:NT Berlin Lab existed to test market reactions to new ideas and innovations.
“Our theory is there’s a cohort of Gen Z and Millennial travellers in particular that are open to new ways of interacting with hotel services,” she said. “We’re therefore using the lab to explore various hotel interfaces to see how we can adapt to changing behaviours and demands. Berlin is the ideal location for our beta hotel as it attracts the culturally curious and is a mecca for change-makers and creative minds.”
Adina’s Senior Director of Development Adina Europe, Matthias Niemeyer, added the lab was about focusing on the small ‘moments’ in time and had been developed in direct response to the changing travel, living, and working habits of post-pandemic travellers.
“Over the past few years, in collaboration with our Lab partner, Häfele and its specialists from Häfele Hospitality solutions, and designers ACME and BWM, we have curated an ever-evolving collection of spaces for staying, working and playing,” he said. “Together we are working to refine and finesse the lab’s three hotel room types – Little, Middle and Big – ahead of our consumer opening.”
Head of Häfele Hospitality Solutions / Strategy & Business Development, Dr. Thomas Leib, said the collaboration with TFE Hotels and Adina aimed to establish new benchmarks in designing and optimising spaces within the hospitality sector.
“Our goal is to personalise guests’ experiences while enhancing operational efficiency for Häfele,” he said. “Implementing a comprehensive solution catering to guests and operators was key for us. We will now incorporate feedback from both parties directly into our development processes, ensuring the continued relevance of our services and products.”
Dr Leib said he eagerly anticipated the market’s response to our efforts and remained committed to advancing the hospitality industry.
MM:NT Berlin Lab’s booking engine opened to guests who signed up through social channels in January 2024. One, two and three-night stays within the testing period – across all room types in late March through to May 2024 – booked out within hours.
Excitingly, Adina Hotel’s development team are currently sourcing further locations across Europe to help grow new hotels, inspired by tested research from MM:NT Berlin Lab.
