Accommodation changes depending on what you’re looking for. If you need a place to stay for one or two nights then the chances are you’re looking for somewhere different from the traveller looking for a room for weeks or even months. The rise of the serviced apartment has come from travellers, usually corporates, working on contract in a new city or even relocating. Feeling a hotel does not meet their needs they look for something more akin to a home from home. Enter the fully-fitted, comfortable and centrally located serviced apartment.
Those using serviced apartments and working in the industry have been answering questions for a report by The Apartments Service for The Global Serviced Apartments Industry Report 2013/14. One of the trends they have examined is the serviced apartment versus the hotel. In the study they have identified four key factors that are fuelling the trend; cost, environment, cooking and personalised.
Start with cost. When a corporate traveller is looking for somewhere to stay for more than a week they have discovered a serviced apartment can be much cheaper. Their overheads and costs are lower. You don’t get extras like room service and restaurants and bars that mean the price gets bumped up. Instead little extras like Wi-Fi and Freeview are included in the cost and are all part of the service. The stay becomes more cost-effective, especially attractive to a corporate traveller whose budget might have been reduced. The report says 69% of those who use serviced apartments say cost is their prime motivator.
The report then examines the environment. It can be hard to be relaxed when you’re on a business trip. Almost everything reminds you that you’re not at home. Somewhere to stay that’s as close to what you’re used to as possible makes you more relaxed. The serviced apartment is secure and has that flexible approach that means the traveller has a comfortable place to stay and is more productive while they are at work.
Hotels tend to have a rudimentary approach to preparing food in your room. There might be a coffee machine but if you want something to eat it either has to be cold or you have to order in. In the serviced apartment you have a fully fitted kitchen enabling you to prepare your own dinner or even entertain. This, the report says, makes it much easier to control food budgets while on the trip. Convenience was highlighted by 72% of responders to the research. In 2010 74% said they liked using an apartment because they could cook in it.
There is a personalised element to the serviced apartment you just don’t get in the hotel, the report says. The traveller is able to customise the service they need, for example when they do their laundry as well as cooking their meals. At Clarendon Serviced Apartments guests are provided with a complimentary welcome pack to help them get started. This personalised service isn’t just about cutting costs. It’s also important to help you stay at ease and have a more enjoyable trip, on your own terms.
For Clarendon Serviced Apartments this is obviously good news. But no one in the sector can rest on their laurels. Instead it means we have to keep working to offer a better and better service. At Clarendon we work hard to get feedback from our customers so that if there is anything they want us to change or improve we can do so. It means we are constantly able to improve out service. The growth in the use of serviced apartments by corporate travellers means we’re doing something right. By talking to and continuing to understand our customers, hopefully we’ll be able to keep doing it.