Re:locate magazine, summer 2006

“Class Act”

Flexibility and value for money are just two of the advantages serviced accommodation can offer those on short-term assignments – with luxury a distinct possibility, too. Anna Lambert assesses the options.

For a versatile solution to short-term home-finding problems, serviced accommodation is hard to beat. Though hotels can be luxurious and convenient, they can also smack of enforced anonymity, of living out of a suitcase. Today, what ten years ago might have been seen primarily as an option for tourists travelling with their large families has become the smart choice for everyone from new graduate recruits to CEOs of leading blue-chip companies. “What we’re able to offer,” says Richard Majewski, marketing manager of Executive Roomspace, “is a home-from-home environment, where clients can enjoy privacy and space but with everything they need to make life pleasant and practical – from a bottle-opener to broadband connection. Meanwhile, the HR team that’s responsible for sorting out where the employees are staying knows that they’ve got a cost-effective solution that’s far less hassle to arrange than, say, the short-term lease of a flat.”

While Executive Roomspace owns, manages and leases its own apartment, its sister company, The Apartment Service, essentially offers a booking service for serviced accommodation. So does that mean that its clients are automatically directed towards one of Executive Roomspace’s apartments? Not at all, says Richard Majewski: “It’s about finding the right accommodation for clients, which is why we’re happy to book accommodation with our competitors. If we only used our own accommodation regardless of whether or not it was the right choice for our clients, we wouldn’t get much repeat business.”

Dee Oyston, general manager of Rendlesham Serviced Apartments, based in Egham, Surrey, believes location is of paramount importance to the success of any serviced accommodation provider: “When we bought the new development on The Old Coalyard site three years ago, we knew there was a need for serviced accommodation in this area. Not only are there excellent rail-links to London, but we’re also just a mile away from the M25 and within easy reach of Heathrow and Gatwick airports. Our proximity to major companies such as Axon, Procter and Gamble and even Wentworth Golf Club has proved vital to our success.”

Another organisation that’s capitalising on its bases in major commuting areas is Reading-based company, House of Fisher, which specialises in the provision of centrally-located serviced business apartments in Reading, Basingstoke and Bracknell – along the M4 corridor.

Top of the range

At the top end of the range, the Cheval Group is one of London’s market leaders in luxury serviced apartments. Its group of six properties offers a portfolio of 286 apartments that equate, in hotel terms, to five-star and five-red-star accommodation. Phoenix House, for instance, just off Sloane Street, features an interior designed by Fox Linton – the company behind cult London hotel One Aldwych – and technology including Bang and Olufsen televisions with built-in DVD players, CD players with Bose speakers and wireless broadband internet connections. Luxurious goose-down duvets, the finest satin and cotton sheets, designer toiletries and organic welcome hampers all come as standard. Says George Westwell, group director at the Cheval group, “We offer excellent value for money in comparison to hotel accommodation, plus more space than you’d get in the average hotel room. And when it comes to serviced apartment versus private rented accommodation, one of the advantages we can provide is access to our excellent support network. Staff at the apartments can help residents settle in, give them the benefit of their local knowledge and so on. Many residents who stay with us cite this as a major plus factor, along with the daily maid service offered by serviced apartments. This helps ease the transitional period between arriving somewhere and finding permanent accommodation.”

Cheval’s Hyde Park Gate complex, set within three Victorian houses overlooking Kensington Gardens, is in the process of being completely refurbished – the company is aiming to ensure they’re the most prestigious apartments in the capital. An interesting development in serviced accommodation concerns security measures, which, these days, reflect the anticipated calibre of the clientele.

In some of Cheval’s properties, for instance, CCTV and panic alarms are being installed in every apartment. Says George Westwell, “The high level of privacy and security in our Hyde Park Gate apartments make them ideal for diplomats, chief executives, captains of industry and for guests from the film and music industry. They’re also the perfect choice for companies wishing to locate high-level personnel and accommodate them in prestigious surrounds while permanent accommodation is arranged.”

Spreading the net

But it’s not just London that’s offering top-notch serviced accommodation. Bridge Street Worldwide has just opened Residence 6: 23 luxurious apartments in a prime location in Leeds city centre: the Old Post Office. Clearly, the move is in response to Leeds continuing prominence as one of Britain’s key business centre, with luxury on-site facilities include valet parking, in-house gym, business centre and two on-site restaurants.

Away from serviced accommodation, some companies offer short-term leases on a variety of properties. Says Beverley Dale of Countrywide Property Services, “We’ve recently provided a number of quality apartments for a company seconding employees from London to Manchester. The staff are ‘parachuted in’ for periods of time ranging from two weeks to a year, to transfer knowledge or for training purposes. The apartments are decorated and furnished to a high standard, with adds-ons such as bed-linen provided; cleaning is carried out at either end of an employee’s stay.” Countrywide believes that, for some employees, this is a better option than serviced accommodation. “A lot of the employees we accommodate are single – they’re probably going to spend more time out exploring the city than they are at home in their apartments. The important thing is that the transition is made very easy for them, and that they are able to live in a similar environment to their permanent home and that they are – if they want – able to have a social life outside work without necessarily having to break new ground. In this case it was also vital that commuting to and from work, was as easy as possible and all the apartments are within walking distance of the office.”

Clearly for everyone involved, accommodation that offers employees maximum freedom and flexibility while sparing employers unnecessary hassles – and costs – is the way forward.