Floating Good Hotel sailing into London on a wave of positive action

A floating Good Hotel that aims to help the unemployed find work is set to open in London this September. The Good Hotel is a social business that re-invests its profits into education, training and entrepreneurship.

An artist’s impression of the Good Hotel London at Newham’s Royal Docks which opens in September. Image by Good Hotel London

Set to open its doors on Newham’s Royal Docks in Central London, the floating Good Hotel will be transported by tug boats and a barge from its current location on the canals of Amsterdam. While docked in Amsterdam for the past year, the hotel boat invited unemployed residents on board and trained them for a future in hospitality. Trainees made up a total of one third (about 18 people) of all hotel staff in Amsterdam and were later helped to find permanent employment with other hotels around the city.

Artist impression of the front of the Good Hotel in London. Image by The Good Hotel London

The training programme was such a success over the past year that the Good Hospitality Group plan to continue training unemployed Amsterdam residents even after the floating hotel has been moved to London. They have now set their eyes on a converted industrial warehouse in the city centre where they hope the training programme can have a permanent home.

An anchored floating platform hotel. Here in Amsterdam for another 6 months before its towed to London.  #goodhotel #goodhotelamsterdam #floatinghotel #riodejaneiroinstagram #the_reports

A photo posted by Ana Maria Coates (@amcollective_design) on Apr 20, 2016 at 5:46am PDT

Founded by Dutch social entrepreneur Marten Dresen in 2012, the not-for-profit hotel concept is now in the process of finding unemployed Londoners to staff the 114-room Good Hotel from September, where is will be based for five years. The trainee programme lasts ten months and a new round of trainees is employed at the end of each year.

One of the bedroom’s at the Good Hotel Image by The Good Hotel London

Besides featuring all the usual hotel amenities, management of the floating Good Hotel say they are deeply rooted in the local community and will welcome local London residents on board to enjoy their rooftop garden and terrace as well as free internet and work space. They also plan to source all cooking ingredients and beverages for their restaurants and cafes from local producers.

A photo posted by Good Hotel Amsterdam (@goodhotelamsterdam) on May 27, 2016 at 12:59am PDT

This news comes after an East London cafe began employing homeless people as baristas in an attempt to change the way people view homelessness.