The company now has more than 400 "hotel rooms" spread across Austin, Dallas, Miami, and Cincinnati.
By Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler
When you're in an Airbnb—staying in someone's home or vacation rental—you know what you're getting into, for the most part, thanks to those honest reviews of the space (and the host). And in a hotel, you definitely know that the front desk is at your beck and call, that your room will be cleaned each day, and that the mini-bar will be fully stocked. But when those lines are blurred, and boutique hotels are now just apartments in residential buildings—but still serviced by concierge and housekeeping—what exactly do you call it? Ask Brian Carrico and Chris Herndon, and they'll give you a very specific answer: The Guild.
While The Guild has quietly been open for business in Dallas and Austin for the past two years, Carrico and Herndon are now ready to share their apartment/hotel hybrid concept with the world. Today, The Guild announced it was launching 80 new rooms in Miami and another 50 in Cincinnati. "We've basically dropped boutique hotels all over these cities," Carrico says. And when you look at a map, that much is clear: The Guild has rooms in eight apartment buildings across Austin, for example, from smack in the middle of downtown to far East Austin.
When choosing a city, Carrico and Herndon start at the very beginning, with developers who are putting up mixed-use apartments-shopfronts around their prospective cities. By working together with those developers to take a single floor off the regular rental market—for exclusive Guild use—the team can ensure that everything is up to its standards and design continuity. Unlike other companies opening apartment/rental combos, The Guild is explicitly for profit from the beginning, too, so as to not push any residents out. The Guild also ensures that every room has a full kitchen, in-room washer and dryer, high-speed internet, and smart TVs—as they would in a luxury vacation rental. Need more? There's a comfy Tuft & Needle mattress and Parachute linens in every room, too, and guests have access to the buildings' amenities, often including the gym and pool. In addition, there's housekeeping at The Guild, after every fourth day or upon check-out. The Guild has studio apartments, and one- and two-bedroom units, which are perfect for larger families looking to save money, long-term business travelers, and groups of friends.
While the space may resemble an upscale Airbnb, the service is a notch above (okay, it's a few notches). There's Guild staff in every building to check you in, help you if something should go wrong, or drop off any deliveries—like pizza or groceries. Speaking of groceries, The Guild sends out a survey about 48 hours ahead of your arrival, to see how you want to check in (virtually or IRL), whether you need a pack-n-play, or if you want to pre-stock your room with groceries from Instacart or booze from Drizzly. (You don't have to have a profile to book, as opposed to Airbnb.) If you need anything like that during your stay, you can just text the concierge for assistance—or even dinner suggestions. Herndon says on average, most guests swap 40 texts with The Guild's digital concierge, who is a real person, not a bot, on the other end of the line.
"I think people really have loved the personal touches, like the handwritten notes upon arrival and the free drink on us at our favorite nearby coffee shop or brewery, like Brew & Brew in Austin" Carrico says. And the price point is a draw, too, he says. (The Guild's single rooms start at $129 per night.)
The Guild is among a growing trend of travel start-ups—like Sonder and Lyric—dropping hotel-like rooms into apartment buildings. Even Airbnb is getting in on the action: Its first branded apartment building in Nashville, which opened in August, encourages residents to rent out their homes when they're out of town. Residents there, though, were surprised by the takeover, and are forced to interact with travelers coming in and out of apartments on their floor. The Guild, though, is almost completely separate from the rest of the apartment building, with the sole exception being shared gym and pool spaces. Think of it as another way to live like a local without, well, running into many.
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