CHICAGO (June 28, 2018) – Related Midwest, a division of Related Companies, the nation’s most prominent privately owned real estate firm, today announced the Chicago launch of Related’s new strategic partnership with Hello Alfred. The alliance is focused on integrating Hello Alfred’s technology and human-touch service platform into Related’s buildings across the country to provide a suite of personal, life-enhancing services to residents.

Related Companies and Hello Alfred are redefining urban living through the creation of a custom platform, Life Simplified, which is exclusive to Related’s residential rental buildings. The service builds on Alfred’s current platform, which anticipates and completes instinctive and sophisticated to-dos on a resident’s behalf. The partnership advances Hello Alfred into its next phase of strategic growth and further enhances Related’s renowned commitment to exceptional service. The strategic partnership represents Hello Alfred’s first significant relationship of scale in the urban multifamily space.

Related is incorporating Hello Alfred’s service into the Related Rentals portfolio in New York City, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. Life Simplified is now offered, at no additional cost, to residents of Related Midwest’s two luxury rental towers in Chicago: 500 Lake Shore Drive and Landmark West Loop. It will also be offered to residents of One Bennett Park, the developer’s ultra-luxury condo and apartment tower under construction in Streeterville.

“In today’s luxury rental market, residents are seeking out communities with exceptional amenity offerings that enhance and streamline their busy lives,” said Curt Bailey, president of Related Midwest. “Service, a hallmark of the Related brand, has become the differentiator, so we are constantly evaluating ways we can elevate the residential experience using platforms like Hello Alfred that marry technology with the personalized, white-glove service for which we are known. From the moment residents sign their leases, Life Simplified is at their fingertips, making it easy to check things off their to-do lists and reclaim valuable minutes of their day.”

Marcela Sapone, CEO of Hello Alfred, said, “When the best of technology and the best of human service come together, the result transcends the ‘smart’ label: a home becomes intuitive, anticipating what you need inside the front door. Our partnership with Related, and the depth of our integration in their buildings, will improve urban living across the Related Rentals portfolio nationally.”

Under the partnership, Related Rentals residents will receive Alfred’s in-home service including app-based grocery ordering and pantry and fridge stocking; dry cleaning and laundry pick-up, with delivery right into the closet; and coordination and quality assuring of apartment cleaning. Residents will also receive a hotel-level apartment tidy-up, arrangements for other in-home tasks such as hanging of flat-screen TVs, and assistance with daily errands. Life Simplified will also provide an enhanced level of move-in coordination including an easy app interface and additional apartment setup features.

As part of Life Simplified, Related and Alfred will offer additional custom services aimed at enhancing the resident experience in the home, building and neighborhood, such as entertainment planning and management, allowing residents to host a rooftop barbecue or an intimate dinner party without the hassle of arranging it; living space enhancements, such as furniture ordering and setup, baby- and pet-proofing, and closet customization and organization; and special events and offerings with neighboring cultural and dining venues.

Related was recently named one of the “50 Most Innovative Companies in the World” by Fast Company magazine. Among other leadership initiatives, Related was the first landlord to accept credit card payments, one of the first developers to build sustainable high-rise buildings and the first national developer to go smoke-free. Related’s commitment to hospitality-level service in its residential buildings includes a proprietary training program that empowers employees to exceed its residents’ expectations, and all Hello Alfred employees will be undergoing the coursework. Related is also a strategic investor in category-defining companies including Equinox^®, SoulCycle and Motivate – the operators of Citi Bike and other bikeshare systems across the nation.

For additional information and images relating to the Life Simplified services offered through Related Rentals, and bios of the founders of Hello Alfred, click here.

About Hello Alfred:

Hello Alfred is a tech and hospitality platform focused on evolving the most important space in people’s lives: the home. The platform combines building management software with highly trained “Alfred” Home Managers to handle an extensive suite of services, allowing residents to focus on the things that matter most. Buildings get a differentiated experience in competitive urban environments; residents get a home that anticipates their needs and saves them time. The Hello Alfred team have been publicly recognized by publications including The New York Times, The Financial Times, Monocle and Fast Company as thought leaders in the on-demand economy, following the decision to employ their Alfred Home Managers, complete with benefits, training, and the ability to move up in the organization, rather than hire 1099 contractors.

About Related Companies:

Related Companies is the most prominent privately-owned real estate firm in the United States.  Formed over 40 years ago, Related is a fully-integrated, highly diversified industry leader with experience in virtually every aspect of development, acquisitions, management, finance, marketing and sales. Headquartered in New York City, Related has offices and major developments in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, South Florida, Washington, D.C., Abu Dhabi, London and Shanghai and boasts a team of over 3,500 professionals. With over $50 billion in assets owned or under development, the company’s portfolio is made up of best-in-class developments in premier high-barrier-to-entry markets across all asset classes. Related was recently named to Fast Company Magazine’s list of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World.

Related has dramatically redefined the concept of metropolitan luxury by introducing extraordinary residential rental properties in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City and Washington, D.C. With each new building, Related has been hailed for setting new standards of excellence in the luxury rental marketplace.  To ensure that every resident in every Related building enjoys the very finest services, unsurpassed amenities, and a luxury lifestyle without compromise, Related takes great pride in managing every building it owns. Related owns and manages 261 Hudson, 456 Washington St., Abington House, The Caledonia, The Easton, The Lyric, MiMA, One Carnegie Hill, One Union Square South, Riverwalk Crossing, Riverwalk Point, The Sierra, The Strathmore, The Tate, Tribeca Green, Tribeca Park, Tribeca Tower, The Westminster and The Westport in New York City (and manages 1214 Fifth Avenue also in New York City). It also owns 500 Lake Shore Drive and Landmark West Loop in Chicago, The Emerson in Los Angeles, The Paramount in San Francisco, One Hill South in Washington, D.C. and One Back Bay in Boston. Related also owns an extensive portfolio of workforce and affordable housing and has several new rental developments underway across the country. For more information about Related Companies please visit www.related.com

About Related Midwest:

Related Midwest, the Chicago office of Related Companies, is the preeminent developer of luxury condominium and rental homes, affordable housing communities and mixed-use properties in Chicago. Known for its architecturally significant, market-defining projects, including 500 Lake Shore Drive, OneEleven and Landmark West Loop, Related Midwest is also recognized for its progressive leadership in five-star property management, historic preservation, environmental sustainability and community hiring.

The company’s current projects include One Bennett Park, a Robert A.M. Stern Architects-designed ultra-luxury residential tower in Streeterville, with an adjacent park by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates; Lathrop, a historic mixed-income riverfront community on the North Side; and Roosevelt Square, a multi-phase, mixed-income community on the Near West Side. Related Midwest is also planning two of Chicago’s most anticipated developments: 400 Lake Shore Drive, located on the site of the former Chicago Spire project in Streeterville, where the Chicago River meets Lake Michigan; and The 78, a 62-acre, mixed-use neighborhood development — one of the largest real estate projects ever conceived in Chicago — that includes a half-mile of river frontage between the Loop and Chinatown. In the West Loop, the firm has proposed a luxury condominium tower at 900 W. Randolph St., in the neighborhood’s Fulton Market District, as well as a mixed-use tower at 725 W. Randolph St. that will include luxury apartments, an Equinox health club and the Midwest’s first Equinox Hotel.