RALEIGH, N.C.—Almost seven months since opening in Raleigh’s Glenwood South district, business at Revisn has been great and the aparthotel has been at full capacity, says Dicky Walia, CEO and Managing Director of Welcome Holdings which developed the “green” Revisn brand. Large corporations are renting the residences. According to Welcome Holdings, Revisn combines the “spacious comfort and relaxing convenience of a luxury executive apartment residence with the hospitality of a boutique hotel.” What Revisn also does is provide guests with a low-carbon experience thanks to its high-tech approach to power generation and heating and cooling.
Atop the 48-unit building is a 134-module solar installation that Walia says typically meets from 35 to 55 percent of the building’s electricity needs. There are occasions when the solar system sends energy back into the grid. Welcome Holdings worked with Raleigh-based Southern Energy Management to get the solar modules installed.
“When our guests arrive, we take them on a tour,” Walia says. “We show them our app which shows how much our solar panels are producing.”
VRF System for Heating & Cooling
Also making Revisn highly efficient is a Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) heating and air-conditioning system. By operating at varying speeds, heat recovery VRF units work only at the needed rate allowing for substantial energy savings at partial-load conditions. Dedicated gateways incorporating a simple and friendly user interface on a mobile device allows residents to control operation of their HVAC indoor unit over the internet. Of the VRF system, Walia says, “It is two times expensive but 55 percent more efficient.”
Revisn uses 100 percent LED lighting and has highly efficient window systems. The total monthly electric bill for the property has been ranging from a very low $800 to $1,500 a month. Water is heated by natural gas and all water fixtures are low flow. Toilets, for example, are dual-flush. Each unit has its own laundry—an LG washer and dryer in one. Revisn also recycles.
Each residence includes Amazon Alexa virtual assistant for answering questions about the residence, the neighborhood, services or speaking with the 24-hour property concierge. Samsung smart UHD televisions deliver entertainment options such as the included YouTube TV subscription, information about the property, neighborhood amenities, and simple casting of personal device content. Property-wide AssaAbloy and ButterflyMX systems allow guests the convenience of smartphone-based building and residence keys with enhanced security and access control features.
“We are completely wireless,” Walia says. “:All of our TVs run on WiFi.”
Second Revisn on the Way
Welcome Holdings is currently developing a second Revisn aparthotel that will be in Raleigh near the Research Triangle Park. That 100-unit property, expected to open in fall 2020 with 5,000 square feet of coworker space, will incorporate solar and include water harvesting.
“We are trying to establish a new brand for aparthotels,” Walia says.
The buzz about Revisn has been growing. The aparthotel has been featured on Bloomberg News and in Serviced Apartment News.
Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
