Luxury serviced accommodation operator The Lawrance which has three venues in Harrogate has opened the doors to its first venue outside the town with a development of 14 designer serviced apartments on Micklegate in York, following a £3.2m renovation programme.
The luxury apartments which can be let from one night or for longer stays, are a brand new development comprising one, two and three bedroom apartments, all sympathetically converted from former business premises in the historic Georgian street.
The launch of the apartments also coincided with the opening of Café 74 at The Lawrance, a coffee shop and café open to the public and guests. A VIP launch event held on Thursday (11 October) saw The Lord Mayor of York as well as council and tourism chiefs tour the new venue and mingle with some of the city’s business leaders to celebrate the investment into the city’s vital accommodation stock.
Director Simon Bullock said:
York is a fantastic business and leisure travel destination, and we’re ideally placed to offer a very different designer alternative to hotel rooms, and to boost the stock of high quality accommodation in the city.
Building on the success of our popular Harrogate venues, we have created a collection of stylish, spacious and luxurious homes from home for guests. Like our accommodation in Harrogate, the York apartments benefit from great attention to detail and high specification designer finish, making them a very attractive alternative to visitors who want a base in York to work from or to enjoy a visit to the city.
The Lawrance acquired the 10,000 sq ft site, formerly a large antiques centre, in 2010 and since then has developed the properties with its construction partner LaRock.
The company already operates The Lawrance Harrogate, a total of 19 apartments at three town centre addresses in the Spa town on Kings Road, Duchy Road and York Road. The new venture has created six full and part time jobs in York including coffee shop, reception, management and support staff.
Yvonne White, manager at The Lawrance York said:
This is a new type of accommodation for the city, and we hope that it strikes a chord with the corporates that often need short and medium term accommodation for staff, as well as for independent travellers to the city and its many attractions.
Our proposition is to offer the quality of finish, design and furnishings you usually only find in a privately owned apartment, or a five star hotel. We are able to pass onto guests the benefit of our lower rates possible due to the reduced overheads of serviced accommodation operators when compared to hotels while also giving the extra space and facilities that an apartment offers.
In total, the apartments will provide a further 20 bedroom boost to the city’s much-needed hotel stock.
Photography by Giles Rocholl Photography
