A service apartment is an all-around outfitted home unit and is accessible for transitory or long-haul stays, providing amenities for daily use, housekeeping and a range of other services, all included within the rental price
A hotel is an establishment providing accommodation, meals, and other services for travelers and tourists.
Among the many choices’ travelers have to make when taking a trip, is what kind of accommodations to book.
Before we dive into how Serviced apartments differ from the traditional hotels & motels, let’s first look at their similarities
Similarities
- House Keeping
In both set ups, you get to enjoy cleanliness, maintenance, aesthetic upkeep of rooms, public area, back area and surroundings.
- Room Service
Some apartments have restaurants on site that makes it easier for residents to place orders incase they are not able to prepare their own meals from their fully equipped kitchens. This service is further extended to their apartments (upon request) although most guests would rather dine at the restaurant as a means to unwind.
- Additional amenities
To make your stay more comfortable and fun, both Serviced Apartments and Hotels provide facilities over and above the accommodation. The most common amenities for both include; parking, swimming pool, fitness center, bar or lounge, free Wi-Fi etc.
Differences
Now let’s dive into the battle of the beds and discuss the real contrasts
- Equipped Kitchen
There is provision of a fully equipped kitchen in serviced apartments. This means to freedom to appreciate your own cuisine at a lower cost than you would, by ordering from a hotel or eat outs.
- Space
Hotel rooms more often than not comprise of a bed, washroom, TV, phone, tea facilities, and bread rolls if the lodging offers them. While these things are incredible for any traveler, the rooms can feel exceptionally confined. A serviced apartment contrastingly accompanies much more space and normally comes in a choice of Studio, 1, 2 & 3 bedroom apartments.
- Furnitures & Electronics
A hotel room will include a dresser, wardrobe, desk or small couch if you’re lucky. Serviced Apartments are fully furnished and equipped with everything you need to cook and live, from pots and pans to sound systems, Satellite TV, washing machine, drying rack etc.
- Privacy & visitors Administration
Just like a home, you are allowed to invite your friends and relatives over to your serviced apartment to enjoy some good times at your private space. Based on the size of the apartment, you can also live with some so long as they are within the maximum capacity allowed by the management.
- Price
Maybe the real difference in costs comes when you consider the length of residence. Serviced Apartments tends to be 30% less in price than hotels particularly for long periods. Furthermore, service apartment can even be better on the off chance that you are to book as a group since you get the opportunity to share costs as you relish the solace of a home away from home.
Best practice is to review all the costs when doing your consideration. For instance, being able to set up your particular dinners. In spite of the fact that this may sound little, it is a noteworthy money saving advantage.
P.S
Traditionally, Serviced Apartments were a concept usually geared towards business travelers but increasingly being used by holidaymakers lately as a base for city breaks.
In the event that you are remaining inside an impermanent area for a couple of months or even years it is obvious to perceive how the cost of a hotel stay may include. It is for this reasons that most corporates, if not all, prefer to lease serviced apartments for their staff especially expatriates for long stays.
By
Catherine Njeri