Archive for May, 2009
Serviced apartments and summer living
Saturday, May 30th, 2009With all manner of miserable things to worry about during 2009 – financial uncertainties, global warming and swine flu to name a few – it stands to reason that most of us need a distraction. A summer holiday is the perfect way to achieve this – even if it’s just for a few days.
Embrace UK tourist attractions with serviced apartments
Where many families would generally choose to enjoy a vacation overseas, there seems to be a marked switch to holidaying in our home country. The UK certainly has a selection of world-class tourist attractions which may be overlooked by British citizens usually keen to jet off to European beaches.
Serviced apartments for summer 09?
If you’re among the many families choosing to stay in the UK this year, why not do a little research on serviced apartments rather than hotels? Here’s a snap shot of the reasons that serviced apartments are worth considering this summer:-
- Cheaper by at least 30%
- Have a homely feel, and oodles more space than a hotel room
- Offer own kitchen facilities (this avoids costly restaurants and the need to eat out)
- Modern facilities such as plasma TVs and DVD players are generally included
- Serviced apartments are charged on a room basis, not on the number of people staying
- Added extras such as maid service, babysitting and cots are often available
- Serviced apartments have no hidden charges, unlike hotels which tend to tag on extras
Serviced apartments - the joy of duplex
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009One up, one down with serviced apartments
The whole concept of serviced apartments is that they are a ‘home from home’. This notion is even more true in the case of duplex serviced apartments.
‘Duplex’ is simply another term for a two-floor apartment. Generally, it’s four and five bed serviced apartments which are designed in the lavish duplex format. These offer luxury comparable to hotel suites, for considerably less cost – generally a saving of around 15-30%.
Advantages of duplex serviced apartments include. . .
- Unparalleled privacy through the upstairs/downstairs layout
- Family-friendly environment
- A greater sense of homeliness
- Ease with which to accommodate babies/toddlers/children and teenagers
- Private kitchen facilities which allow for sociable mealtimes
Duplex serviced apartments – rising to the challenge of short and long-term living
Living away from home – be it for a weekend or several months – can be an unsettling and often stressful experience. This is particularly true in the case of temporary relocation for business travel, training and assignments. Duplex serviced apartments can cushion the effects of the move by offering a sense of stability which hotel accommodation and bed-and-breakfast living struggle to provide.
Duplex penthouse serviced apartments – city views from sunrise to sunset
Duplex serviced apartments in some of the UK’s major cities – Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle for instance – have duplex serviced apartments at the top of beautiful buildings in a ‘penthouse’ style. This offers the added luxury of panoramic city views and scenic treats from sunrise to sunset. Be sure to investigate these desirable penthouse serviced apartments if you’re weighing up your accommodation options.
Serviced apartments – take control of your booking
Sunday, May 24th, 2009Avoiding the black hole of booking errors
In my experience, booking serviced apartments is an uncomplicated, fast and fuss-free experience. However, care needs to be taken – particularly when booking serviced apartments online – to clarify your requirements.
Accommodation booking hiccups are, of course, not confined to serviced apartments. Hotel blips at check-in could include being given a smoking room instead of a non-smoking one, discovering a double bed instead of twins (unquestionably a cause for contention) to the gut-wrenching, but not uncommon scenario, of the hotel having no record of the booking.
Serviced apartments and online booking systems
Many providers of serviced apartments are now taking extra special care to make the booking process a smooth and stress-free experience. Online booking managements systems are one way in which many companies are choosing to improve the user experience. Through these online systems guests can:
- Extend or reduce existing bookings
- Add additional serviced apartments
- Reserve car parking spaces
- Order additional extras
These excellent booking systems should give customers increased confidence to book online.
Extra tips and tricks for a smooth serviced apartment booking
If you’re reserving serviced apartments online, you should automatically receive a booking confirmation in the form of an email. Print this off and keep it safe. If you’re booking serviced apartments well in advance, be sure to clarify the company’s cancellation policy should unforeseen circumstances arise.
Serviced apartments – combining business and family time
Friday, May 22nd, 2009One of the difficulties in achieving a work-life balance can be juggling family and business commitments. Increasingly, particularly in high-flying professions, business trips are commonplace. These can temporarily break up the family unit, creating pressure in the home. Where young children are involved, it can be difficult for everyone concerned.
Serviced apartments and maintaining a family unit
Serviced apartments can be a means of keeping the family together, particularly during UK business trips. As serviced apartments are available to rent in the UK’s major cities including Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool and Leeds, suitable accommodation for families is easy to find.
Enjoy space and quiet-time for business in serviced apartments
As serviced apartments are spacious (some have up to four or five separate bedrooms), they are conducive to carrying out business activities alongside family life. When one partner needs peace and quiet to make business calls, it’s easy to find privacy and solitude by walking into another room and closing the door. This is a luxury not afforded by most hotel accommodation.
Serviced apartments – conducive to a peaceful night’s sleep
And if one partner needs a restful night’s sleep for a business meeting the next day – and can’t afford to be woken by their loved-one’s tossing and turning – there’s always the option of sleeping in separate bedrooms in serviced apartments. Yet in the morning, all family members can reconvene for a home-cooked breakfast in the serviced apartment, feeling fresh and revived for the day ahead.
Serviced apartments – Supporting children in transition
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009Relocation can be an exciting time for the family. However, it can also be a stressful period, particularly for children who may have mixed feelings about the move.
If you’re using serviced apartments as a temporary residence whilst you secure a suitable property in a new city – be it for a several months or up to a year - there’s numerous ways you can support your child before and after the move:
Before your move into serviced apartments
- Share information about your new town or city with your child. Gather a collection of postcards or leaflets about the area to generate a sense of excitement, rather than sadness or fear.
- Tell your child in plenty of time about the serviced apartments you’ll be moving to – preferably several months in advance. Plan a leaving party so they can say bye to friends.
- As soon as possible, arrange a day out to show your child your serviced apartment and the new neighbourhood. Take them to see facilities and amenities you know they’ll enjoy close to the serviced apartments, such as parks, video stores, swimming pools and skating rinks.
- If your child is being enrolled into a new school, schedule some time to visit the head teacher, form tutors and classmates ahead of moving into serviced apartments.
After your move into serviced apartments
Your child, or children, will require love and support when you move into serviced apartments in a new city. A few tips to keep them feeling safe and happy include:
- Helping your child to decorate the room with toys, pretty lights and colourful bedspreads. Make it feel like their own bedroom – even if it is temporary.
- Help your child take photos of the serviced apartment and the city so they can post them to friends and relatives.
- Encourage your child to enrol in local clubs, be it gymnastics, swimming or brownies/scouts - preferably close to the serviced apartments.
- Perhaps most importantly, be there to listen. Whether they’re scared, excited, nervous or happy about moving to serviced apartments in a new city, they’ll need your support.
Serviced apartments – bridging the generation gap
Friday, May 15th, 2009For many of us, familiarity is secure and comforting. Take my parents for instance. Undeniably creatures of habit, they insist on booking into the same hotel every summer for their annual theatre-and-shopping weekend in Manchester.
While I’m delighted they’re having fun, I’m forever trying to encourage them to take advantage of serviced apartments – of which Manchester boasts an excellent variety.
Serviced apartments – are baby boomers missing out?
My friends in their twenties and thirties have expressed a similar reluctance among their parents to try serviced apartments – largely because it’s a relatively modern concept which some of the ‘baby boomer’ generation may be unfamiliar with. Even among retired couples who are more adventurous than my parents, many aren’t aware that serviced apartments exist. The opportunity of well-priced luxurious accommodation, akin to a hotel suite, therefore goes unnoticed.
The benefits of serviced apartments for my parents would include:
- Increased space (their usual hotel room tends to be rather cramped)
- Modern living (their ‘favourite’ hotel is old-fashioned in design)
- The ability to self cater (my father gets grumpy without his breakfast of beans and sausages)
- Financial savings (increasingly important as they’re now retired)
- A change of scene (always good)
Serviced apartments – convincing my parents to step out of their comfort zone
My challenge is to convince my wonderful parents to broaden their slightly limited horizons, and to try serviced apartments when they visit Manchester in summer 2009. I’m convinced a couple of nights in a serviced apartment with a plasma TV, superb kitchen facilities and even the luxury of two separate bedrooms – an ideal solution should Dad’s snoring and Mum’s hot flushes all get too much – would set the scene for a perfect weekend.
Serviced apartments versus hotel accommodation
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009Serviced apartments are a modern alternative to hotel accommodation. Here we compare the two forms of temporary living . . .
What is a serviced apartment?
A quick summary of the concept of serviced apartments; they are a modern alternative to hotel accommodation. Serviced apartments offer a range of advantages over a hotel room – effectively they are a ‘hotel-style’ suite at a fraction of the cost.
Serviced apartments and space
One of the main advantages of serviced apartments is space. Rather than being squeezed into a hotel room with little scope for manoeuvre, guests have the luxury of separate bedrooms, a lounge, bathroom and kitchen area. Where longer-term stays are desired, this is one of the key benefits of serviced apartments over hotel rooms.
Serviced apartments and cost
Most serviced apartments are 15-40% cheaper than standard hotel accommodation. This is largely because they don’t have the same running costs as hotels; there are rarely restaurant facilities in serviced accommodation and therefore staffing costs of waiters and chefs do not have to be supported by the over-pricing of rooms.
Serviced apartments and flexibility
Serviced apartments offer greater flexibility than hotels. Length of stay in serviced accommodation is essentially governed by requirements of guests. Duration of stay can vary from one night to a year in many instances. This is a luxury not offered by hotels.
Serviced apartments and kitchen facilities
Where hotel guests are largely reliant on hotel restaurants, or overpriced room service, serviced apartments are equipped with modern and extensive kitchen facilities. These make eating a more personal experience. Kitchen facilities also enable guests to enjoy a less restricted lifestyle, as they are not governed by set menus and fixed dining times within hotel restaurants.
Serviced apartments and privacy
Serviced apartments offer a greater degree of privacy than hotel rooms. Hotel rooms open out on to public corridors, whereas serviced apartments are more intimate and secluded abodes. Noise disturbance from other guests also tends to be less of an issue in serviced accommodation.
Serviced apartments and graduate induction
Monday, May 11th, 2009As graduates take their first corporate job, a weekend in serviced apartments may be in order . . .
Just yesterday, a friend explained her plans to celebrate her impending graduation in two serviced apartments in Manchester. While she may be enjoying an alcohol-fuelled weekend, in a few months’ time she’ll be staying in serviced apartments for a more professional reason – her graduate induction weekend.
Serviced apartments and graduate placements
When I secured my first corporate job after graduation, I also spent a weekend’s induction in a serviced apartment along with other suit-shy graduates. Although the experience had important employment implications, it was also an opportunity to bond with other graduates fresh out of university. The ‘bonding’ element may be a bit of a cliché, but we certainly got to know each other quickly by staying in serviced apartments and having a laugh. Fortunately, it transpired we were all equally reluctant to ditch our lazy student lifestyle and roll out of bed at 7am every day. Surrounded by like-minded peers in the serviced apartments, I certainly began to feel less apprehensive about my pending employment.
Serviced apartments and corporate clients
Many serviced apartments are keen to forge relationships with major city firms because graduate placement schemes create large amounts of revenue. Many law firms, accountants and financial organisations in major cities including Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool and Leeds regularly splash out on serviced apartments for employees. So if you’re a graduate joining a large city firm, weekends away in plush serviced apartments may well be one of the perks.
Serviced apartments – at the essence of event management
Saturday, May 9th, 2009Corporate event management requires zest and imagination in choice of accommodation – so turn to serviced apartments to keep your guests happy
Event management requires thoughtful planning and meticulous attention to detail. Corporate organisations specialising in event management are increasingly turning to serviced apartments to ensure a comfortable, stylish and atmospheric stay for their guests.
Selecting the ideal serviced apartment may first entail addressing a number of specific details including:-
- Number of guests
- Budget
- Desired event image
When these have been formalised, a little inspiration is called for. What is the event style? Would it be most appropriate for guests to stay in a converted warehouse, a rural retreat, Victorian conversion or a beach residence? Perhaps a slick city pad is more apt? While the creative streak is being tapped into, it’s important to bear various practicalities in mind:-
- Are there adequate parking facilities in the serviced apartments?
- Are the serviced apartments close to public transportation? Do they need to be?
- Are there any special transportation issues to be addressed?
- Are the serviced apartments situated close to the event venue?
- What is the smoking policy in the serviced apartments?
Serviced apartments – the booking process
When you have ascertained the requirements of the serviced apartments, narrow down the possible locations online and check if sufficient rooms are available on the required date. Serviced apartments book up quickly so if you’re aiming to give your guests a memorable stay, get organised as soon as possible. If you can visit the serviced apartments in advance to vet them first hand, this can offer event managers valuable peace of mind. It is also worth checking cancellation policies should guest numbers drop nearer the time.
Google Street View and serviced apartments
Thursday, May 7th, 2009Thinking of renting serviced apartments? Check out your temporary home-from-home with Google Street View
I’ve been strangely drawn to Google Street View. The service – the first of its kind online – allows users to literally see any road (which has been mapped to date) in 25 UK cities through 360 degrees. Google spent the majority of 2008 collecting the images, with a fleet of specially-modified cars crawling along 22,369 miles of British roads.
Serviced apartments – use Google Street View for a clearer picture
I find the site compelling. And, fortunately, I’ve not been photographed in any compromising locations as other innocent pedestrians have found. But, last week, I discovered another relevance for Google Street View – beyond just being generally nosy. I used it to look up serviced apartments in Manchester to see the accommodation ‘in the flesh’ so to speak.
An unbiased perspective of serviced apartments
Fortunately, although various areas of South Manchester are yet to be mapped by Google, the majority of Manchester city centre is online to see in all its bustling urban glory. And rather than relying on advertising photographs which accompany the written spec of Manchester serviced apartments, I could get a realistic image of the accommodation – at least from the outside.
Serviced apartments and local amenities
It’s surprising how Google Street View had the power to influence my choice of accommodation. I like greenery and quiet-ish abodes so I was swayed by serviced apartments situated on scenic streets. Google Street View also revealed serviced apartments in walking distance of shops and various amenities. Both of these elements to Google Street View influenced my final decision.
Another decision-making tool when choosing serviced apartments
If anyone is about to book serviced apartments online – particularly if it’s in an unfamiliar city and is for a medium to long-term stay - take a few minutes to check out Google Street View service. It may prove a valuable tool in the decision making process.