Service apartment firm Lamington Group appoints GM for new ‘hometels' concept

Serviced apartment provider Lamington Group has appointed a general manager to run the first example of its "hometels", which it claims is a new concept that bridges the gap between Airbnb and a hotel.

James Nichols, 41, will be general manager of the 71-bedroom Room2 in Southampton, the first full-scale version of the new concept.

Its launch follows a pilot property launched in London two years ago.

Nichols was previously general manager for Hotel du Vin at its Bristol, Winchester and Henley-on-Thames venues and won an Acorn Award in 2006 while working for the business.

He also was also director and owner of high-end food and beverage business Caracoli between 2008 and 2014. The business now has five sites across the south of England.

While he was at Caracoli, the business won The Telegraph Magazine's Best Small Shop in Britain 2012, in the food category.

Nichols said: "To be in at the beginning of this journey is really exciting. The market is evolving and so are customers and the typical hotel guest.

Room2 offers guests their own living room and kitchen space, combined with “hotel-level” security and cleanliness.

Nichols is currently leading the recruitment for the team at the hotel.

He said: “We like to approach things in a slightly different manner, so we are running a series of group style challenges and teamwork sessions where we hope to see candidates’ passion, individualism and expertise come to the fore.”

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