Ascott’s flex-hybrid revolution: Redefining hospitality at ITB Asia 2024

Ascott’s innovative hotel-in-residence model blends short and long stays to meet the evolving needs of modern travellers

For over 40 years, Ascott has been at the forefront of global hospitality, innovating the industry with its extended-stay serviced residences. Today, the company is making waves with its flex-hybrid hotel-in-residence model, offering a seamless blend of short and long-term stays across 14 brands. Ms Tan Bee Leng, Chief Commercial Officer of The Ascott Limited, shares insights into how this model is being showcased at ITB Asia 2024, addressing the evolving preferences of today’s travellers.

Ascott’s flex-hybrid hotel-in-residence business model is quite unique. Can you explain how this model caters to both short and long stays across your diverse portfolio of 14 brands?
Ascott’s journey as a global hospitality company began 40 years ago, with a focus on extended-stay serviced residences. Building on our foundation, we have introduced a flex-hybrid hotel-in-residence model across our portfolio, which currently comprises over 950 properties worldwide, encompassing serviced residences, hotels, co-living properties and resorts. This innovative approach combines the comfort of apartments with the services and amenities of hotels, catering to relocated professionals, long-term guests, and the growing demand for transient and blended travel.

Our flex-hybrid model is seamlessly integrated across all 14 of our brands, ensuring versatility in our accommodation offerings to address the rising interest in flexible hospitality solutions. For example, Ascott Dadonghai Bay Sanya blends luxury accommodations with long-stay facilities to attract both vacationers and remote-working professionals. Similarly, Somerset Pattaya offers a resort-style experience that fuses leisure amenities with spacious serviced apartments.

By operating under this flex-hybrid model, Ascott remains agile and responsive to changing business cycles, allowing us to quickly adapt to shifts in demand. For instance, during peak tourist season, we can accommodate more leisure guests, who typically generate higher revenue. During off-peak times, we focus on welcoming guests with extended stay needs, ensuring greater income stability. This approach enhances operational efficiency by optimising asset utilisation, diversifying revenue streams, and anticipating guest needs. For our guests, it means more choices and customisation; for property owners, it presents greater opportunities for increased revenue and occupancy rates.

By aligning our offerings with the evolving preferences of today’s travellers, our flex-hybrid model enhances guest satisfaction and loyalty, ensuring we meet their needs in a personalised way.

Why is this important in order to meet the needs of today’s travellers?
Ascott’s flex-hybrid model is essential for meeting the needs of today’s travellers, who increasingly seek customisation and personalisation in their hospitality experiences. Our model accommodates guests regardless of their lifestyle, travel purpose, or length of stay — whether for short visits or extended periods. The hotel-in-residence experience we provide, along with diverse room configurations, caters to a wide range of travellers, including business professionals, digital nomads, solo adventurers, and those travelling with families and friends. By aligning our offerings with the evolving preferences of today’s travellers, our flex-hybrid model enhances guest satisfaction and loyalty, ensuring we meet their needs in a personalised way.

As multigenerational family travel continues to gain popularity, Ascott is in a sweet spot to meet this growing demand.

Corporate and incentive travel are evolving, with trends like bleisure becoming more prominent. How is Ascott positioning its properties to cater to both business and leisure travellers, particularly multigenerational family travel?
For business travellers, our properties provide essential amenities like high-speed internet, dedicated workspaces, and meeting facilities. We also recognise the importance of leisure through our hotel-in-residence experience, which features kitchenettes and spacious living areas that allow guests to unwind or extend their stay for family activities. Our Oakwood brand is especially cherished by bleisure guests for its emphasis on comfort, seamlessly balancing work commitments with personal wellness pursuits while travelling. By integrating business and leisure elements, we ensure our properties meet the dynamic needs of today’s travellers, making Ascott the ideal choice for both business trips and family getaways.

As multigenerational family travel continues to gain popularity, Ascott is in a sweet spot to meet this growing demand. Our apartment-style units enable families to spend quality time together while maintaining their privacy, all complemented by hotel-grade services and amenities. With diverse room configurations, including dual-key and connecting rooms set-up, we can accommodate families of varying sizes. To further enhance the experience for families, we provide welcome kits that ensure guests of all ages feel comfortable and engaged. Our Somerset brand – celebrated for its homey atmosphere, children-centric signature themed suites and eco-friendly play areas and gym – is especially popular among families.

For visitors to ITB Asia 2024, what key offerings from Ascott should they look out for, and how is Ascott aligning with the latest trends at the event?
At ITB Asia 2024, we are thrilled to showcase Ascott’s largest booth yet at P05 as the Official Partner Hotel of the event. Inside, visitors will discover three dynamic zones packed with fun-filled experiences for everyone. In the Chelsea Zone, visitors can challenge each other to a foosball match, sign up for a complimentary Ascott Star Rewards membership, and score an instant silver-tier upgrade on their first app login – all while immersing themselves in the vibrant, experience-led social living atmosphere of our lyf brand. The F&B Showcase will feature a bar reminiscent of the Oakbar at our Oakwood properties, serving bespoke drinks crafted to highlight the unique positioning of our brands. Plus, don’t miss the Instagram-worthy treehouse swing in the Resort Zone – the perfect spot for capturing memorable moments while discovering the leisure-centric experiences offered by our brands, including the family-friendly Somerset.


As the Official Global Hotels Partner of Chelsea Football Club, one of the world’s 10 most popular football clubs, Ascott is presenting the Ascott Privilege Signatures Stadium Lounge at Stamford Bridge as a new venue for corporate events and team-building experiences. Located at the home ground of Chelsea in London, this unique setting allows companies to host meetings, presentations and networking events in a vibrant atmosphere at one of the most iconic stadiums where world-class football action takes place.

For team-building activities, the lounge can serve as a base for customised experiences, including stadium tours that offer behind-the-scenes insights and VIP visits to The Blues Cobham Training Ground to witness and even take part in training sessions. Incorporating team challenges or workshops led by former players can further enhance these events.