As the serviced apartment sector grows stronger it inevitably reaches more people. Yet that market growth can sometimes lead to confusion. We often have businesses ringing us up asking how long they can stay, what sort of apartment is best for an extended stay, how is it different from a hotel. So at Clarendon we’ve welcomed the definition by a leader in the global hospitality industry which creates a spectrum from corporate housing to aparthotels.
The truth is different people are looking for quite different services from serviced apartments. Often it relates to the length of stay and the needs they have as guests. HVS illustrates those needs as filling the gap between the residential market and the hotel market. Serviced apartments sit in the middle, supporting extended stay visits that are too short for an apartment let but are too long to be cost-effective with a hotel stay.
At one end is corporate housing. Designed to suit a longer than average stay, corporate housing allows a business guest to work, cook, eat and sleep in a self-contained unit/ There are all the amenities they will need from furnishings to a fully fitted kitchen and bathroom as well as Wi-Fi and broadband. At the other end is an aparthotel. There’s no minimum stay as often defined in a corporate housing booking but the accommodation although larger than a hotel room is still smaller than an apartment and often only feature limited facilities such as small kitchenette with limited living space.
The principal contrast between the two is the length of stay; if a guest is looking for a place to stay for longer than 30 nights they aren’t looking for an aparthotel but corporate housing.
With 26 years’ experience providing corporate apartments in and across London, Clarendon recognises the corporate housing definition. As a company Clarendon is corporate focused and caters for businesses across a range of sectors from banking and finance to oil and gas, digital and media accommodating their employees, assignees and senior executives in London. With a range of locations across the capital close to transport hubs it makes it much easier for guests to find a place to stay close to the office.
Clarendon is also a member of ASAP and has taken part in its recent pilot scheme offering quality assurance for serviced apartments. With an average rating of 84% Clarendon guests can be confident of the accommodation they are booking into.
The growth of the serviced apartment market inevitably means that prospective guests will have questions and queries about how the service and the offer works. Helping customers to understand how a serviced apartment could make their business stay easier, cheaper and service their needs more effectively is vital. It means those who are looking to embrace a modern bespoke way of living and working in the capital can find the simplest way to do it, easily. Clarendon continues to appeal to global business because it offers the service they need and want, rather than expecting them to fit in with us.