Why Are Serviced Apartments so Popular and What Hotels Can Learn From Them
January 24, 2022
Gone are the days when hotels were the only choice for travelers seeking accommodation. Now, people have multiple options when looking for a place to stay during their vacation or business trip. One of the more popular choices is the serviced apartment.
But what is a serviced apartment? A serviced apartment or hotel apartment is a fully furnished residential room with select housekeeping and amenities. These units usually come with an operational kitchen, living space, and laundry room for guests. They typically have more space and come at a much more affordable rate than traditional hotels.
With an on-going pandemic, travel restrictions, and lower monthly revenues, perhaps it’s time for hotels to adopt a few features from their competition to attract more guests?
Read below what hotels can imitate from serviced apartments.
1. Maximize hotel room space
One of the most attractive aspects of a serviced apartment is its increased room space. Most hotel apartments are about 30-40% larger than a standard hotel room. It comes with a living area, one or more bedrooms, a kitchen/dining space, and some even come with separate laundry rooms.
For traveling families or bigger groups, it’s much easier to book a serviced apartment with multiple bedrooms than several hotel rooms.
Because hotel rooms traditionally have much less space, you can maximize the area by investing in space-saving furniture and dividers. Loft style rooms, murphy beds, and vertical storage space all work well to create more space for guests. You can also offer adjacent or connecting rooms for larger groups.
2. Provide more in-room amenities
Once you’ve created more space in your hotel rooms, you can then work on improving the guest experience with in-room treats and amenities.
Although you may not be able to include a stove top in the rooms, you can include a microwave, a small coffee and tea station, or even a crockpot for simple cooking. You can also include a small ironing board and steamer for quick laundry needs.
Making the hotel room more residential gives guests a lot more value for their money. They won’t have to spend so much on always eating out and other services if they have the equipment in their units.
3. Offer affordable long-stay options
Because you’ve made your hotel rooms suitable for more than a weekend stay, you can try offering long-stay packages to your guests. These packages are great options for those to stay in one area for a month or two.
Serviced apartment nightly rates are also cheaper than hotel rooms by 30-50%. Remember to price your long-stay offers closer to these rates to be more competitive and attractive to guests. You can also try using a hotel revenue management system to help with pricing strategy.
Learning from competitors like serviced apartments challenges hoteliers to be more creative and innovative. It’s all about providing more value to guests to enhance their experience. So whether that’s increasing room space or adjusting room rates, always be on the lookout for ways to stay relevant in the market.
Interested in increasing your occupancy and maximizing revenue? Check out ZEN Hospitality Solutions! We provide hotels with hotel management systems that significantly improve their performance and help them achieve their goals. Talk to an expert today on how we can help you.
Article by Ayna Gonzales
