The niu Melt, Zurich Airport, Bülach

The real estate developer and total and general contractor Steiner AG from Zurich and the Hamburg-based NOVUM Hospitality have signed a long-term lease for the first niu hotel in Switzerland. The 131-room hotel will open in autumn 2021 in the large, new "Glasi Quarter" in Bülach-Nord, north of Zurich. A new urban quarter is being built here on a former industrial site (formerly Glashütte Bülach) with a future concept mix of residential and commercial space as well as a residential and care center.

Mandated by Steiner AG, red KG was involved in this project right from the start. The success of the hotel project was of great importance for the entire development of the quarter. With our development process and our tools, we were able to create an optimal product for the market.

The starting point for this development was a challenge. The hotel market around Zurich Airport is highly competitive. High room occupancy rates are achieved, but this is at the expense of room prices;

among other things because of expansion of room capacity by new competitors. When creating the concept, it was very important to take this price pressure into account, even if guests from the airport should not be the only mainstay. Potential was also identified in Bülach and the surrounding area. In addition, accessibility is optimal, the hotel is located directly at the train station and close to the motorway exit.

In addition, it is important for the district development to revitalize the district. For this reason, it was important to be able to offer an attractive F&B concept. This also with the idea of making the hotel's public areas as profitable as possible.

We were also faced with a difficult plot shape. Developing a space-efficient hotel layout was an additional challenge.

The "niu" brand is perfectly tailored to the concept developed for this location. The positioning and services match our requirements. The operating concept is very efficient by international standards and yet a regional reference is made.

The project was not realized due to the COVID-19 epidemic. The rental agreement was reversed.