Apple is always innovating. It single-handedly changed the way we communicate with each other and digest entertainment. But now they're setting their sights on a new project not in their typical wheelhouse: building a hotel.
Yes, the tech company is building a new corporate campus in Austin for $1 billion, and a 75,500-square-foot hotel will be part of it. Site plans were approved in late April that revealed what was once office buildings and parking garages would become a 192-room, six-story property. This hotel is part of the sprawling campus totaling three million square feet in structures, making it one of the biggest complexs in the city.
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"Apple is a trendsetter in so many ways," John Boyd Jr., principal of consulting firm The Boyd Co. Inc., told CultureMap. "Its proposed hotel as part of its new Austin campus is another example of it being ahead of the curve."
Although it seems off for Apple to be building a hotel, Boyd Jr. believes it will become the norm for large companies. "Having a hotel connected at the hip with its corporate parent is not common now," he said. "But in the post-COVID-19 corporate travel world, I expect we will be seeing more of this concept, especially from deep-pocketed tech firms like Apple, Google, Facebook, and Microsoft. [It will give Apple] greater control of its corporate travel operations, and give COVID-wary business travelers a greater sense of security and safety."
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He could be on to something as American Airlines is currently building a corporate hotel as well. It will be the first one with plans to open in Fort Worth, Texas in 2021. It will have an incredible 600 rooms along with a training center and conference space. Apple's new campus and hotel isn't expected to open until 2022. When it does, it will house 5,000 employees with plans to accommodate 15,000 employees in the future.
