The Nature of Serviced Apartments – The Indian Experience

In the last decades of the past century the prototype of the present Serviced Apartments and then known as a Guest House, grew from the need for corporate houses to have private accommodation for their senior staff to be accommodated as they travelled between cities in the course of their work. Each major business house in India would have a well furnished hired apartment with caretaker and cook to serve the travelling corporate executive when he visited that city.

Nowadays the term Serviced Apartments is used by both Service Providers and Service Seekers as an alternative to accommodation in hotel rooms for extended stay leisure or business travellers. This product grew quickly in the last two decades when it satisfied the need to economise on costs. The company Guest House became superfluous with the growth of Serviced Apartments.

Typically found in urban areas, these apartments offer a no frills approach, often with no restaurants, or room service, and vary in size and standards. Most have en suite bathrooms and kitchenette or pantry. Apartments for the business traveller usually have a working area, a desk and chair, with direct telephone and internet access. Housekeeping provides a twice a week change of linen and towels. Some urban locations also have a small meeting room.

The location in a city is the most unique and important feature of a Serviced Apartment. You are able to choose from a multiplicity of choice to suit the position of your working offices and your leisure activities so that lost time in commuting is minimised.

A comparison between Hotels and Serviced Apartments is listed below.

Comparison of Hotels v/s Service Apartment

HOTELS

Old Standard

Hotels are Costlier

Less Space

1 Room Space= 200-250 Sq.ft

No Living Room

No Proper Sitting Place

Accommodating Guest for Meeting

is not Convenient in the room

No Kitchen

Heavy Food Bills

Same Restaurant Food

The Food is cooked in the

Restaurant Style ….

eg: oily / Spices

Home Sick

SERVICED APARTMENT

New Preferred Choice

Save more than 50 to 75% of Hotels

2-3 times More Space

1 Apartment Space =500 to 650 Sq.ft

2 Bedroom Apartment Space=900 to 1200 Sq.ft

3 Bedroom Apartment Space=1400 to 2000 Sq.ft

Living Room

Privacy of Bedroom

Proper sitting Place in the Living room

Accommodating Guest for Meeting convenient

Kitchen available

Spices / Oil As per your taste

Less Cost Food Bills

Multiple Restaurant Food

Food is cooked to your taste and served hot and fresh

An ambience of a home