New Residency 'La Floresta': Exclusive Photos and Information

The building La Floresta is currently being remodelled into a residency for IE students so it can be ready for the next academic year. Alojamientos Internacionales, a collaborator of IE University, decided to invest in this project due to the large demand of students and lack of accommodation.

The future managers of La Floresta, Juan González, head of “Alojamientos Internacionales,” which also manages The Factory Residence - another residence linked with IE University, and his daughter Ana, (Master in Hotel Management, Degree in BBA) showed us around the building under construction and provided us with exclusive information.

The building was sold in 2017 to an investment company and an agreement with Alojamientos Internacionales to take over the property was reached. IE University is not responsible for this purchase. González explained,

“We are a collaborative company with IE and we have a mission to help them grow in the housing sector,” said Juan and, “Everything we do is collaborative, but we were responsible for this project. We want to give more services and help to make students live better,” clarified González.

He explained the timing is now because the current issue is that there is not enough supply,

“Factory, the apartments, and Reyes are not enough,” said González and explained his reasoning: “I want to finish the construction work at the beginning of the year 2019. It will be ready for the September 2019 course.”

The Details

La Floresta will have 34 rooms of which six could be double or suite. In terms of price, it will be more expensive than other residences, estimated to range from the highest prices of Factory Residence rooms and above (<1100 €). The explanation was,

“The rooms are bigger, the location is different and the building is of higher quality. Therefore, this building will compete with the most superior rooms of the factory” said Juan González.

During the summer, like Factory Residence Hall, La Floresta Residence will be used as a hotel. Other similarities the new residence will have with Factory will be the norms.

“All the complexes will be within IE standards. IE will agree on the rules,” said Juan. “We want people to choose La Floresta because they like the rooms more, not because they can do things here that they cannot do in Factory, everything will be the same in that sense,” explained his daughter and future manager, Ana.

Moving toward technology

La Floresta will have a restaurant on the bottom floor which will be used as a “meeting point” for all IE University students. This will work together with an app where people can know the menu of the day and choose what they would like to eat, leave it reserved and be automatically charged to their accounts. Furthermore, residents will use their phones and electronic cards to enter the residence, the elevator and open their rooms.

Food

Juan revealed his intention is that one day the same business will manage all of the residences.

“With the same management, one day you would be able to know what is for dinner in Factory and in La Floresta and then be able to choose where you want to have dinner,” he said and then explained, “ The normal thing is that in end all is carried by the same company.”

The restaurant will be further explained, but Juan reinforced that,

“It is a complex for many people, not only for the 34 residents of La Floresta. It is for the people of the flats, all people of IE that are in this area,” he clarified.

Management and Future Projects

Alojamientos Internacionales said specific jobs will be created for this property. But indicated,

“With IE we have already reached a level in which I can do some new things but not many more,” said Juan González. However he remarked that “ many more accommodations are going to be created, but I cannot be the owner of these complexes, I will create them for other people to put the capital.”

The goal is to create a city for IE to be recognised. Father and daughter explained the city has to grow by other routes not only by tourism as the city is known nowadays.

“We are lucky that one of the universities that wants to be the best in the world is in Segovia. It is an opportunity. There are still thousands of things to do, gyms in the downtown area and facilities prepared for students and not for residents.”

“What we all want is that Segovia becomes a city adapted to the profile of IE students, similar to Oxford. A city that completely moves around the university,” said Juan.

Conversations with IE

According to Juan, IE allegedly can bring as many students as they wish. As he said IE has the infrastructure to do it, but accommodation has to be created to pair that.

“From what we’ve talked with them, they are considering having two years of study in Segovia, and the rest in Madrid. Hence, over time almost everyone will go through Segovia, at least a year or two,” commented Juan.

González remarked that what IE has, which other universities do not, is internationalism and that people benefit a lot from their experience in Segovia.

The Residence

Four floors. Let’s start from bottom up.

GROUND FLOOR

Meeting Point : cafeteria / restaurant

Juan explained how it will work,

“It will be a restaurant during the day, with a menu with 20/30 dishes with the same quality and then, daily menus that will change every day and have a happy hour.”

The use is not restricted to the residents is for anyone in IE which will be identified with a subscriber system.