People · Podcast guest
Eric Jafari
Director · AENDRE
Founder and CEO of AENDRE, converting offices into design-led, extended-stay hotels. Former edyn / Locke co-founder.
- Current role
- Director
- Practice
- AENDRE
- Location
- London, UK
- On the podcast
- 1 episode · 2024
The story so far
The path behind Eric's work.
Eric Jafari is the founder and CEO of AENDRE, a development studio converting redundant office buildings into design-led, extended-stay hotels. Born in Los Angeles and London-based for over 15 years, his background is in real estate rather than hospitality, a perspective he credits for much of his approach. His father was an architect on Disney's Paris and Tokyo parks.
He co-founded and was Chief Development Officer at edyn, where he helped create and scale the Locke brand to 16 properties and more than 4,000 rooms across Europe under Oaktree and then Brookfield ownership, before leaving in 2023 to found AENDRE. Eric featured on the Architecture Social podcast discussing what architects can learn from converting offices into lifestyle destinations.
Episode 0224 · Architecture Social · 55:59
Hospitality Reimagined: Converting Offices into Lifestyle Destinations. Ft. Eric Jafari at AENDRE
Converting offices into hospitality destinations is not just a design exercise. It is planning, finance, consumer behaviour, ESG, operations and understanding what people now want from places.
Inside the conversation
6 moments to start with- 01
00:00 · Introduction and welcome
- 02
00:50 · Meet Eric Jafari
- 03
01:47 · Eric's journey from Los Angeles to London
- 04
03:06 · Building innovative hospitality concepts
- 05
05:15 · Converting office spaces
- 06
06:00 · Lessons from hospitality projects
Profile in brief
The work and context behind Eric's conversation.
- Current role
- Director
- Practice
- AENDRE
- Location
- London, UK
Continue exploring
Meet the practice behind the work.
AENDRE is a London development studio converting offices into design-led, extended-stay lifestyle hotels across the UK and Europe.
- Greater London
- Hospitality
Podcast · moments that play
Start where the idea starts.
- 00:50Eric Jafari · YouTubePlay this moment on video ↗Play on video ↗
Meet Eric Jafari
- 01:47Eric Jafari · YouTubePlay this moment on video ↗Play on video ↗
Eric's journey from Los Angeles to London
- 03:06Eric Jafari · YouTubePlay this moment on video ↗Play on video ↗
Building innovative hospitality concepts
- 05:15Eric Jafari · YouTubePlay this moment on video ↗Play on video ↗
Converting office spaces
- 06:00Eric Jafari · YouTubePlay this moment on video ↗Play on video ↗
Lessons from hospitality projects
- 13:39Eric Jafari · YouTubePlay this moment on video ↗Play on video ↗
Extended stay design insights