Serviced Apartment providers were on top form at the buzzing Business Travel Show held at Earls Court in London. Relocation’s favourite’s were there including SACO, BridgeStreet, Oakwood and The Ascott Limited. Association of Serviced Apartment Providers (ASAP) members, were well represented with 14 partner companies exhibiting in the ASAP Pavilion area.

It was good to see an increasing number of serviced apartments available in far flung overseas locations because this is what relocation really needs, as well a wider UK regional spread. Corporate clients are ever more global and looking for joined up solutions that save them time and money. It was interesting to see serviced apartments being offered in India and Brazil as well as the popular growth areas in Asia Pacific. Find out more in our coverage of the serviced accommodation sector in the spring issue of Re:locate, with a special focus on their overseas offering and whether it is meeting current mobility trends. With Brazil also a highlight in this issue and the most talked about location on the economic growth horizon, we'll look at who is providing temporary accommodation solutions there. Judging from the Business Travel show Skyline Worldwide Accommodations seems to be the front-runner.

ASAP data for 2011 revealed strong occupancy despite the challenging economic climate and with London 2012 just around the corner this is likely to be a good year for the serviced accommodation industry. Most providers are holding to their promise of servicing their established clients throughout the Olympics period, with the message of business as usual and working together to plan ahead. Keep up with the latest picture via our Olympic section on the website which includes insights from the serviced accommodation sector.

As we have said before there is still a lot of education needed to ensure those new to the concept of serviced apartments understand what a perfect and flexible fit it can be for employees and their families on the move. Pick up a copy of SACO's The Essential Booker’s Guide to Business Travel just launched at the Business Travel Show, to help you get things straight and to ensure you use trusted suppliers.

Find out about serviced apartment developments overseas and the Olympics picture in the spring issue of Re:locate published end March.