Va va voom for Vio apartments

YORKSHIRE property developer Newmason Properties has expanded its range of luxury hotel apartments.

After 10 months in operation, the Vivo hotel apartments and meeting rooms at Victoria Mills in Shipley have attracted substantial interest and more are set to come on stream because of demand.

Initially only a handful of the 447 apartments at Victoria Mills were made available by Newmason Properties as it tested the market for hotel apartments.

However, the apartments’ popularity has seen Newmason set up a separate company, Vivo, to look after and grow the offering to meet demand.

Over the last three months, Vivo has achieved 93% occupancy across 22 serviced one and two-bed apartments, duplexes and meeting room facilities, and is plannig to bring more apartments on stream.

Vivo manager Jo Brown said: “We have had a fantastic response from people who are totally bowled over by the whole Victoria Mills package – the location, facilities, security, atmosphere – as well as the unrivalled standard of service we offer to the individual apartments.

“They like how cost effective and flexible we are – guests can choose the kind of stay they want and they don’t have to pay for services they’re not going to use.

“Word is obviously getting around because we have had lots of private bookings from relatives of Victoria Mills residents attending weddings, christenings and other family events, together with bookings from businesses like Pace Micro and Hallmark cards, who are choosing to put visitors and staff into the apartments rather than hotels.

“Recent guests have included scientists and academics visiting the University of Bradford, barristers and solicitors and international business visitors from the US, Sweden, India and Hong Kong.”

The apartment hotels offer secure parking and 24-hour concierge services including dry cleaning, shopping and even a meal cooked in advance of arrival.

Victoria Mills is the brainchild of developers Alec Newsham and Andrew Mason.