Placemakr has partnered with Marymount University, a private university located in Arlington, Va. The partnership will launch Placemakr Marymount Ballston, a mixed-use hospitality and residential property next to Marymount’s Ballston Center campus. Starting this fall, the partnership will give students within the university’s new hospitality and innovation MBA track with an opportunity to participate in the operation of the property and support Placemakr’s technology-driven approach to hospitality management, supplementing their classroom learning with real-world experience. The property, formerly known as The Rixey, will open on Oct. 28.
Placemakr Marymount Ballston consists of residential apartments used for student housing and apartment-style hotel units. All guests and residents will have access to hospitality services like housekeeping. In addition, students housed within the property will also have access to perks such as discounted stays for visiting friends and family, optional add-on cleaning, laundry services and access to pet care services.
“Our approach to graduate education for hospitality is to focus on the intersection of data, design and entrepreneurial leadership,” Jonathan Aberman, dean of Marymount University’s College of Business, Innovation, Leadership and Technology, said in a statement. “Our new MBA in hospitality and innovation is unique, and our partnership with Placemakr, an innovative venture-backed company, is indicative of our unique focus.”
Placemakr Marymount Ballston is a 265-unit property with amenities such as a 15th-floor club room and rooftop deck, as well as a fitness center.
“Innovation is at the core of what we bring to the hospitality industry and we’re always looking for ways to take that to the next level," said Jason Fudin, CEO and co-founder of Placemakr. "This unique partnership with Marymount is extremely exciting to me because it allows us to have a hand in shaping some of the future leaders in our industry. By providing students with this type of experience working with commingled, tech-enabled properties early on, they’ll come out of school already with a leg up on their peers and an eye for innovative thinking. I can’t wait to see how the experience impacts them in the future.”