Before we proceed with the topic, we need to first understand what a serviced apartment is, as many assume serviced apartments to be hotels, which in reality they aren’t. So how do we define a serviced apartment? A serviced apartment is a fully furnished apartment that is offered either for short or long-term stays. Or in other words, they are self-contained apartments available for rent from a short period as little as a day to over a year—literally whatever the stay duration is.
What are Serviced apartments?
Serviced apartments are fully dedicated professionally-operated apartments. This means they aren’t home shares rented out when their landlords escape for a holiday. Rather they are professionally operated and managed by real companies having their own guest service, customer support and maintenance teams, unlike individual landlords wanting to make some extra income out of rental properties. Business travellers look for the best stay with high safety standards, and expect consistency in hospitality standards every time. This is where serviced apartments are preferable compared to hotels and homestays. Serviced apartments, in one sense, is a go between hotels and traditional long-term contracts, and make perfect sense for a fixed-term of 1 or 2 year stay. Further, customers are needlessly tied into long contract periods.
Benefits of Serviced Apartments over Hotels
Generous living space
One of the biggest merits of serviced apartments is that they are a lot more spacious than traditional hotel rooms. Though serviced apartments differ by location and brand, they provide stayers with a much more generous living space, usually with built-in kitchens, laundry and other basic amenities. Will you be able to find these conveniences in a hotel room? The availability of these conveniences are especially important for guests who are staying away from home for an extended period, as they don’t need to venture out of the room for essential services.
Satisfy your taste buds
Though most hotels these days feature on-site restaurants for dining experience, with some even giving stayers the option to explore their kitchen, long-term stayers always crave for home-made food which can be cooked in the kitchen facilities provided by serviced apartments. This invariably gives them the choice to cook whatever they want, whether they want to prepare quick noodles or Biriyani and provide their taste buds with pleasure. Besides, there are more serviced apartments that now provide café-options and on-site restaurants as well.
How long is your stay?
One key factor to always consider before you decide to book a hotel or serviced apartment is the duration of the stay, and therein lies the key difference. Serviced apartments are built to accommodate longer stays with a full-size kitchen with a dishwasher and washing machine, in addition to a wide wardrobe space to meet basic needs. They are perfect for a weekend getaway or longer. If you’re simply looking for a one-night stay, a hotel may present as the best option.
Group bookings
For four or more people to stay at a hotel at one time, they would need to book separate hotel rooms, though adjoining rooms are an option making accessibility with friends and family across multiple floors and disconnected rooms hassle-free and easy. Serviced apartments are well-equipped to accommodate more people, with some offering sleeping space of even up to six people. This offers an enjoyable experience for stayers to spend time together and savour the good times. Many service apartments feature adjoining rooms and the conveniences of a double bathroom, in addition to privacy, while also being in close vicinity with other members of the family or network.
Learning local culture
The best part of staying at a serviced apartment is that one can learn the local culture especially with extended stay. Because serviced apartments are located in residential areas, it is easy to get a feel of the local experiences like cuisines, traditions, practises and customs.
Cost factor
Another factor that differentiates serviced apartments from hotels is the cost. Make a rough calculation of how much one needs to spend for a hotel stay against service apartments for the same period, the cost will vary greatly. Add to this food and transportation costs, and one has to probably shell out more for booking a hotel compared to a serviced apartment. Serviced apartments are also normally 30 percent more spacious compared to hotels.
Basic Amenities
Though both hotel rooms and serviced apartments are equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi, TV facility, AC, room heaters, etc., a serviced apartment always fares better than a hotel room in terms of facilities and house-keeping services.
To conclude
Service Apartments in Coimbatore these days are in great demand as they offer stayers, especially long-term guests and business travellers with a ‘home-like’ comfort and luxury. Not surprisingly, its market size is growing bigger over time.
