Why Business Travellers Prefer Serviced Apartments Over Hotels
Why are business travellers increasingly choosing serviced apartments?
Leisure and business travellers alike enjoy of the uniqueness of staying in hotel alternatives. For business travellers, accommodation shouldn’t just a be place to sleep, but a place to live, work and feel at home. Serviced apartments offer an added perk of hotel-like comforts during your long-term stay, and are becoming increasingly popular among travellers for this very reason.
1. Simply put, serviced apartments offer a multitude of possibilities
There is no single definition for “Serviced Apartments”, but accommodation varieties that fall into this category may include boarding houses, apart-hotels, long-stay hotels and many more.
The German Hotel and Catering Association (DEHOGA) defines a Serviced Apartment as a serviced accommodation, which is mainly utilised by long-term guests in urban environments.
The rooms are furnished as private apartments and the service ranges from very basic to complete hotel-like room services. These services may include, for example, towels and linens replaced several times a week, frequent housekeeping, and laundry facilities for residents. High-speed Internet and telephone connections are also available, as they are the most frequently requested amenities by business travellers.
2. Serviced apartments offer more space
In addition to amenities, residents of serviced apartments enjoy having more space than the typical hotel room. Unlike the average hotel rooms, most serviced apartments have multiple rooms separate from the sleeping quarters. An apartment may also feature kitchen, working, and entertainment areas. Having more space means business travellers and their families feel like they are going home at the end of the day, not to a confined space.
With working conditions and business travel evolving, the demand for alternatives to hotels is on the rise. The concept of serviced apartments meets these growing demands with the promise of greater comfort and a customisable stay.
The German Business Travel Association (VDR), reports about 6 million overnight stays in serviced apartments per year in Germany alone. Requests for these apartments surpass that number by a fourfold. These stays cover 62% of the apartment/hotel industry in Germany. This isn’t exactly surprising, considering the extent to which this industry is booming.
3. Serviced apartments are cost effective
Business travellers actively seeking out serviced apartments have long since discovered the advantages, including cost advantages. For example, an overnight stay in a 3-star hotel costs an average of 87€ per night. At the same time, a serviced or furnished apartment with the same standards, high-quality interior and optional amenities can be booked immediately for 900€ (including additional costs) for an entire month.
Compared that to the overnight stay of four days in the hotel and the saving potential is more than 40%.
Now consider the length of these business trips. Currently, around 27% of worldwide business travellers and 70% of German business travellers spend more than 31 days a year away from home.
It’s easy to see why the market for comfortable long-term accommodation is growing, since the cost benefits are so appealing.
As the popularity of Serviced Apartments rises, so do the expectations of service. Property managers strive to offer services that create a unique, and comfortable stay for that home away from home feeling.
Whether the comforts of furnished apartments or the luxury of hotel-like amenities and services, your Homelike experience is customisable to fit your needs.
