According to a recent (2016) Global Serviced Apartments Industry Report, there are over 820,000 serviced apartment units worldwide across over 9000 locations. Travelers are increasingly well informed and are actively seeking more flexible options in their travel accommodation. With Hotel accommodation remaining fairly unchanged, these travelers and travelling professionals are now considering serviced apartments. These apartments offer a vastly different proposition compared to hotel rooms as they provide greater amenities and can be used over short-term or long-term stays. Serviced apartments typically provide a more home-away-from-home type of experience as compared to a hotel.
Benefits of serviced apartments
- Serviced apartments are more spacious as opposed to hotel rooms
- They also offer more privacy compared to hotel rooms
- They are more cost-effective as there are no extra hidden costs
- They contain a kitchen or kitchenette thus, reducing meal expenses
According to a report by The Apartment Service, serviced apartments are 15-30% cheaper than hotel rooms inclusive of their business and tourism appeal. These serviced apartments have been developed due to the rise in the number of tourists globally. According to the World Tourism Organization, the number of international tourists’ arrivals increased by 7% to reach 1.3 billion hence, the tourism industry has come up with city apartments that will accommodate the needs of a modern traveler.
Aparthotels
Experienced travelers may also opt for aparthotels during their stay. This is a convenient happy medium between a hotel and a fully furnished apartment. Length of stay varies from one night to a month or more. An aparthotel contains a kitchenette, one or more bedrooms which provides similar services just like a quality hotel. They are very spacious and provide a home away from home experience. However, they are not as cost effective as serviced apartments.
How to find a great serviced apartment
Finding a quality serviced apartment can be tedious for a foreigner. This is because unlike Hotels Serviced apartments tend to be a more complex proposition and there are thousands of small operators each with their own website and booking system. In response to this and the real need to provide transparent and simplified serviced apartment options SITU Serviced apartments have developed a simple, easy to use platform bringing together a global portfolio of serviced accommodation. SITU is a company accredited by the Association of Serviced Apartment Providers (ASAP) to provide apartments fully furnished to the highest standards to make travelling accommodation a home away from home to travelers. SITU offers a range of serviced apartments in over 500 locations across the globe:
- Europe (34323 apartments)
- Asia (3585 apartments)
- North America (2400 apartments)
- South America (47 apartments)
- Africa (562 apartments)
- Oceania (364 apartments)
It also offers accommodation options for people with disabilities. The minimum length of stay at the SITU apartments is three nights while a maximum length of stay varies. A stay with SITU serviced apartments could be easily extended when required. The Serviced Accommodation offers kitchens and kitchenettes, lounge areas to relax and even laundry services. This elevates the apartments to a dwelling place rather than a place to stay.
The SITU platform enables users to find a list of the location facilities, details about in-room amenities and prices for each room type. This boosts the confidence of experienced travelers like yourselves when seeking accommodation and increases transparency.
It's no secret that the serviced accommodation sector is lagging behind other categories in the Travel Industry. We're all used to booking hotels and air tickets in seconds- but it can still take time to get a price estimate for a serviced apartment due mainly to the lack of cohesive systems which support and track availability in each property. SITU are working hard to change this too and should have an industry-leading live availability feature online in the near future.
The tourism industry is now seeking new ways to locate serviced apartments easily all over the globe. This is by selecting countries at a time and determining which cities provide serviced apartments and putting them under one list. Each city will go through a screening to determine which serviced apartments are available and labelled in terms of room sizes, prices and accessibility to transport services. This is not an easy task, but it will accommodate more tourists and experienced travelers all over the world. The tourism and travel industry will, therefore, expand owing to the rise in popularity of serviced apartments.
