Reasons Why You Need to Book Serviced Apartments
Vacations are fast gaining popularity. There is a mandatory need to get away from all the stress of work and just relax. But things can hit a snag in cases of family vacations.
Imagine having to book up to four different rooms each for the members of your family? Sounds draining, right? And that is where serviced apartments come in; to ease the frustrations in your head and in your wallet.
Serviced apartments are self-contained and fully furnished apartments (usually condo units) designed for short term to medium term stays with all the facilities and fittings you need for an extended trip away from home.
They are called ‘serviced’ apartments because of hotel-like benefits, such as maid service, 24-hour reception/concierge facilities and unrestricted access to onsite amenities like pools, gyms, restaurants and bars.
They offer that home-from-home’ environment; total independence to come and go, eat, drink and sleep as you please but with a degree of service included that you won’t find in a private rental.
Are you travelling with your family to the next city for a long weekend or on a vacation, here are our top 5 reasons to pick a serviced apartment over a regular hotel:
1.Take the complete advantage of the space and number of bedrooms
A regular hotel room is smaller compared to a serviced apartment. If travelling with kids or a group of friends, this is exactly what you need. Everyone gets to have their own space and privacy so there is harmony.
Or maybe you are just alone but desire a homely experience away from home. Staying in a serviced apartment gives you the room to work, cook, relax and sleep and on average you can expect to enjoy 30% more space than an equivalent standard of hotel.
2.Cook for yourself and your children if eating outside doesn’t turn out too well
Serviced apartments offer a private and fully equipped kitchen. This is convenient for saving money because eating out can be a bit expensive, especially if you are travelling as a large group.
In a serviced apartment, you can have breakfast in bed, you can prepare whatever you fancy and you can have it any time you want. For the times when you simply don’t wish to cook but want to stay in, you can also call upon the concierge to organize the services of a private chef who will cook and serve a meal just for you.
3. Play a host and invite people over to your home
You can use the space in your apartment to host small business meetings around the dining table in your apartment. You can also host other guests, parties as well as family get-togethers, birthdays, and anniversaries in a safe, secure and exclusive space.
4. Save money
The rental price for these apartments is lower on average than a corporate rate for a hotel. Saving money also comes in because there are no restaurant bills, bat tabs or room service charges.
Guests get to come with their own foodstuffs and there is a fully equipped kitchen for preparing meals. You will be able to save a lot of money eating in rather than eating out.
5. Make the entire vacation personal & comfortable with a home-like experience
Serviced apartments give you the home from home experience that you do not get in hotels or guest houses, you have the space, the room and the flexibility which is perfect for leisure or business travellers.
They give you the kind of privacy you would expect at your own home. There is freedom to do whatever you wish, whenever you want it.
Whether you are a regular traveller who has hotel fatigue, or an occasional traveller looking for extra comfort or something more special, a serviced apartment could benefit you.
Serviced apartments offer more freedom, space, choice and flexibility to the demanding business and leisure travellers of today, and there are considerable financial cost savings to boot. The only challenge remaining is to find the right one for you.
Nairobi to grow business travel in 2019, boost tourism sector
Nairobi’s meetings, incentives, conferencing and exhibitions (MICE) tourism has grown over the past few years to become a key revenue contributor in the tourism industry.
Data by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics the number of international conferences and delegates grew by 6.8 per cent and 5.6 per cent respectively in 2018.
On the other hand, local conferences and delegates grew 7.9 per cent and 3.7 per cent respectively.
“The improved performance was a result of a conducive environment for tourism, withdrawal of travel advisories and high-profile international conferences and meetings held in 2018,” the 2019 Economic Survey stated.
Some of the high-profile conferences held in the country last year include The first ordinary session of the African Union Ministerial Sub-Committee on Tourism, The 79th International Skal World Congress, The Sustainable Blue Economy and the African Hotel Investment Forum.
This good MICE performance saw tourism earnings grow 31.3 per cent last year to sh157.4 billion from Sh119.9 billion, with the number of international visitors growing 14 per cent to 2.03 million tourists.
By Cynthia Ilako, Business Writer