Globally award-winning and pioneering affordable luxury hotel brand citizenM announced on April 7 that it will acquire land in The Sandbox, a video game subsidiary of Animoca Brands, to begin construction of a hotel in the metaverse.
This initiative marks a new milestone in the hospitality industry, as citizenM will be the first hotel group to purchase land in The Sandbox, which was recently named a Metaverse Pioneer by the Wall Street Journal and CNBC, a metaverse where users can create and monetize their own game worlds and experiences on virtual land.
After focusing on customer retention during the pandemic, particularly after the launch of the subscription in beta phase and its new version (which will be announced in the coming weeks), citizenM is now focusing on loyalty in the online world.
Like all of its hotels, citizenM prioritizes art, showcasing and selling future NFT collections that will be commissioned from emerging digital art talents. Once the land is purchased, citizenM aims to fund the construction of hotels in the virtual world by selling an exclusive collection of NFTs, with associated real-world rewards.
Each of the 2 NFTs will have the same price, but buyers will be randomly assigned to one of three tiers: 000 “regular” citizens, 1 “special” citizens, and 500 “legendary” citizens. Rewards will come in the form of discounts, free drinks, and more, and will also be determined by the buyers’ assigned NFT tier. Rewards will be redeemable at any hotel in citizenM’s already growing real-world portfolio.
Robin Chadha, Marketing Director of citizenM, is pleased: “ We are thrilled to be the first hospitality company to establish a presence in the Metaverse. As a brand that continues to push boundaries and challenge traditional models, this new venture into the sandbox is not only in line with our brand strategy, but also our commitment to creative communities and guests, both online and offline. We are incredibly excited to explore the Metaverse, which will offer even more possibilities in the years to come. »
Once the virtual hotel is built—a place where avatars with access to The Sandbox can work, sleep, and play—citizenM will partner with new digital artists to create and sell NFTs that can be purchased in the digital space.
Ultimately, the brand plans to use these profits to create a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that will fully fund a physical, real-world property, for which token holders will vote on the location. In keeping with the brand's vision, citizenM will ultimately build a hotel for the people, by the people.
citizenM in Paris
Currently, four citzenM hotels are open in Paris… the Paris Charles de Gaulle Hotel, the Paris La Défense Hotel, the Paris Gare de Lyon Hotel, and the Paris Champs-Élysées Hotel.
citizenM has introduced some notable innovations, such as a one-minute check-in experience with the free app or kiosks. The app also lets you open doors, order food and drinks, control the room's ambiance, and schedule cleaning.
The lobby is a lively place offering lounges, art books and workspaces with iMacs. CanteenM lets you eat and drink 24/7, while societyM can provide you with a meeting room. citizenM's "Ambassadors" have several roles during the day... always on hand at reception, as baristas during the day, or mixologists at night.
The rooms have just what the guest needs… a smart TV, a tropical shower, ultra-fast Wi-Fi and a wonderfully comfortable giant bed for a well-deserved rest.
Rattan Chadha, the founder of citizenM and a contemporary art collector, lets his passion flow by exhibiting works by established and promising artists.
About citizenM
The goal when citizenM was founded in 2008 was to shake up the traditional hotel industry. The founder of international fashion brand Mexx, Rattan Chadha, created a hotel for modern travelers by drawing inspiration from his employees… and offering everything and nothing else. In other words, the locations are in the centers of the world's most interesting cities, but at a completely reasonable price. Where you can sleep, of course, but also work, play, and relax, just like at home. Where you can find free ultra-fast Wi-Fi, technology that makes life easier, and a really good bed to find peace after a long day. Affordable luxury for all ", as Rattan Chadha aptly describes it.
In 2008, the first citizenM hotel opened at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. Other hotels followed, and by 2022, the citizenM portfolio now boasts 24 hotels across 16 exciting cities, including London, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Paris, Copenhagen, Zurich, Geneva, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington DC, Taipei, and Kuala Lumpur.
For any further information www.citizenM.com // @citizenM
Erdan Nareh-Telrit
