What is a serviced apartment?

Serviced apartments have been around longer than most people think – making an impact, in fact, for over a decade.

Officially, ‘Serviced Apartment’ is the umbrella term for a type of furnished apartment available for short-term or long-term stays, which provides amenities, housekeeping and a range of services for guests and where most taxes and utilities are included within the rental price. Serviced apartments offer facilities much like a traditional hotel but with added space, convenience and privacy like home, so you can enjoy living like a local when travelling. They have private cooking facilities, sometimes a kitchenette but sometimes a full-size kitchen with dishwasher and washing machine, larger living/sleeping areas than most standard rooms, and often having access to gyms, restaurants, meeting space, concierges and other hotel-like services.

‘Serviced Apartment’ as an expression has been relatively little used outside the corporate relocation and business travel markets. Most online booking sites have long offered them as booking options, but with no separate category – most are just labelled ‘apartment’ and offered as another option alongside regular hotel rooms. But the sector is increasingly having an impact on leisure travel as people find serviced apartments are available all over the world as a credible and cost-effective alternative. They are especially economical for longer stays, group travel or family parties, allowing savings on dining out and offering in-house entertainment as well as allowing you to live like a local.

What you should expect from a serviced apartment:

• A fully equipped kitchen, usually with both dishwasher and washer/dryer
• One or more separate bedrooms, or in studio apartments, a designated sleeping area
• A living area
• A bathroom
• TV, Wi-Fi and the latest in-room technology
• All utilities included i.e. water & electricity
• A weekly housekeeping service