With approximately a 50% split between short term stay and long term stay residents at our which visitor type do you imagine achieves the most benefit from going into serviced apartments when put side by side with other options: renting from a private landlord or reserving a hotel?
Short-stay: serviced apartments vs. hotels
When you book in to a hotel, all is made easy and ready for you: towels, beds prepared, your morning meal ready and waiting for you. They work best for a couple of nights. If prolonging your stay for a few extra days, though, you will usually want a tad more living space. You might prefer to cook for yourself on a couple of occasions, or eat your own food at breakfast time in preference to the food that the hotel dining room lays on. You can also spread out a bit more:
- put your stuff in the cupboards
- make the most of TV
- eat when you like
The contrast gets even more attractive when you discover that serviced apartments are generally less expensive than a 4-star hotel, despite the more generous space and extra services provided as standard.
Long-stay: serviced apartments compared to apartment rental or hotels
When you get into stays of more than a week, it’s not only square footage that turns out to be important: the most suitable accommodation will have good storage, not usually provided in a hotel room. Having your own apartment throughout your stay allows you to feel less cooped up. Your lifestyle is just as it would be at home. You are free to do as you please, enabling you to feel relaxed.
In comparison to renting, allow you to bask in luxury while also making you feel more ‘at home’ than a hotel as the days go by. E.g. apart from preparing your own meals you could also be perfectly content to do your own washing in the laundry facilities provided in the kitchen.
Two disadvantages of renting apartment space are that you usually are restricted to at least a half year let, and you have to arrange all the services yourself (gas and electricity and sometimes broadband too). It is not in the least surprising that for stays of between one week and six months, serviced accommodation is the overwhelmingly popular option amongst business or holiday travellers.