Delivering “a new way to live built on community,” WeLive, in New York City, allows guests to rent fully furnished apartments, featuring top-tier technology, for as little as a few weeks up to several months. Operating from a unique business model, WeLive’s mission is to “transform the rigid and isolating housing model of yesterday into a flexible and community-driven experience for today.”
WeLive is located inside a 28-story building on Wall Street that also houses 6 floors of office space, several ground-level retail stores, and numerous community-centric areas designed to bring people together.
In addition to WeLive’s central laundry — outfitted with 26 LG Platinum Commercial Washers and Dryers — it offers a community-centric chef’s kitchen, residents’ lounge, game center and fitness studio.
“WeLive is very different than the industry standard,” said Senior Facilities Manager Daniel Santiago. “Yes, we offer highly flexible rental terms, but we also include central, community-focused spaces, concierge service and member events, such as Sip and Paint and Happy Hour,” he said.
A Central Laundry Embracing Efficiency & Community
WeLive’s central laundry — located on the 8th floor— is equipped and managed by Fowler Laundry Solutions, (Fowler Laundry) in Union, N.J. It touts ample space for more than just laundry.
Encouraging interaction, it houses a ping pong table, pool table, arcade games and an “Honesty Market” complete with grab-and-go food and beverages.
Santiago worked closely with Daniel Fowler, of Fowler Laundry, to activate the space to serve the needs of more than 50 guests at any given time. Furthermore, the laundry was designed to fuse with WeLive’s sustainability efforts. “WeLive focuses on being eco-friendly,” said Santiago. “We compost, as well as use reusable drink containers, rather than paper cups and straws. This is why efficient laundry equipment was also a must.”
Thus, the laundry’s front-loading LG Platinum Commercial Washers are water stingy — consuming just 13.4 gallons of water per load, compared with typical top-load washers that require 30-40 gallons. In doing so, the LGs work to cut water and water heating costs, as well. Moreover, they deliver high-extract speeds reaching 413 G-force to remove more moisture from every laundry load. That’s a good thing, according to Fowler, because it means LG Washers also significantly reduce dry time and natural gas consumption. The icing on the cake? Thanks to lower dry times, guests spend less time doing laundry. And, they love it, according to Santiago.
A No-Hassle Laundry Scenario
In keeping with WeLive’s business model, the laundry equipment is also vend-less, which eliminates possible pay-to-operate headaches for guests. Rather, laundry costs are absorbed by WeLive as part of tenant rent.
But guests aren’t the only ones to benefit from a no-hassle service approach. WeLive does too. A win-win agreement with Fowler Laundry effectively offloaded the capital expense and potential hassles associated with owning, managing and maintaining the laundry equipment. Instead, Fowler Laundry takes on that responsibility for a flat, monthly fee.
Santiago wouldn’t have it any other way. Fowler Laundry’s service is excellent,” he said. “If I place a service call, they almost always dispatch within the day. They are transparent, seamless and easy to work with.”
WeLive’s Successful Business Model
WeLive — which opened five years ago — has since proved its community-centric, highly flexible business model works. “We’ve enjoyed a 90 percent occupancy rate year-over-year,” said Santiago.