Birch is the future of hospitality space that merges work, stay and play.
This first Birch property, which opens this summer, is set on 55-acres just 30 minutes north of London. Started by Chris Penn (formerly of Ace Hotel London) and Chris King, it is marketed as “a space for those living in cities to escape to.”
A multi-use property, Birch has 140 bedrooms, a growing farm, two restaurants, three bars and an interactive bakery. It also has 20 event spaces, a co-working space, fitness studios, a lido, a pottery workshop, and screening, music and art rooms.
Birch embodies the concept of lifestyle community that is recasting our idea of hotel, co-working space, private member’s club, recreation, exclusivity and community.
A significant reason driving hospitality spaces like Birch is the digital nomadic trend which is expected to be more widespread.
As people rethink not only the way they work but the way they holiday (short trips won’t seem worth the risk anymore, especially when Covid-19 testing and quarantines are involved), the benefits of combining work with leisure over a prolonged period will become obvious, and embraced in a way that people didn’t have the courage to do so before.
Covid-19 has proven that people can work virtually anywhere. A better quality of life can be had because combining work and play is more tenable.
This is how Birch describes itself:
Looks like a hotel but feels like a festival (i.e. there’s a lot to do here).
We run a full events programme (from art workshops and maker masterclasses, to festivals and parties), a busy workout schedule (30+ yoga/spin/HIIT classes every week), and a growing programme which includes gardening lessons, foraging walks, and pottery classes.
Of course, you can always just rest and reset with a long sleep and lazy walk around our 55 acres of nature.
And on its space for working:
Whether you’re a maker or manager, marketer or maverick – if you approach work creatively – Birch is the space for you.
The future of hospitality real estate will no longer be defined by one or two functions or verticals – a hotel, a co-working space, a club. It is leisure and work seamlessly integrated.
photo credit: Birch
