There are a range of options available to business travellers looking for somewhere to stay in London – both for short term and long term stays. Here we explain the different types of corporate accommodation, how it differs from leisure accommodation, what to look for, and, importantly how to find the best corporate accommodation in London.
Corporate accommodation is a very broad description for accommodation needed by business travellers. It applies to business travel accommodation which is, fundamentally, temporary. However, it is suitable for both long-term and short-term stays of a business nature (including business travel with the family accompanying).
As such, corporate accommodation is immensely diverse. It includes individual and standalone apartments and houses. But it can also include studio flats and, in some definitions, hotel rooms.
Corporate accommodation is generally a little different from leisure travel accommodation. This accommodation is designed with the business traveller in mind. This means that you’ll find it in busy business hubs, such as London. This accommodation tends to focus on functionality, comfort and daily living, rather than the travel experience. That’s not to say they can’t be luxurious, but the focus is on enabling the business traveller to live and work in a home from home environment.
Corporate accommodation has been booming as the international marketplace has boomed. Business travellers found hotel stays restrictive and out of step with what they needed from business travel accommodation. As such, corporate accommodation has grown prolifically over the last few decades particularly for central London locations.
It’s not long ago that the business traveller had very restricted options. Those on short-term business trips were limited solely to hotels. Whether staying 3 nights or 3 months, business travellers had to shoe-horn their needs into the services of the hotel.
These short-term business travellers had to make do with one room for their entire stay. If they wanted to work in the room, they had to balance their laptop on their bed, or use the small dressing table. If Wi-Fi was available it was charged as extra. All meals had to be eaten in the hotel restaurant or paid for offsite.
Longer term business travellers, for example those on secondment or relocating, had to take their chances with the local rental market. For trips of 6 months or more, where a hotel stay was clearly unfeasible, the business traveller would have to take out a private rental agreement. They then faced the issues of furnishings in their temporary accommodation, as well as the hassle and complexities of organising all of the individual utility bills and things like council tax.
Corporate accommodation seeks to take the best elements of these two situations and eliminate the troubles of staying in either a hotel or a private rental. The premise is that the business traveller gets the perks and comfort of staying in a hotel with the practicalities and flexibility of staying in their own apartment. They get space and privacy as well as hotel-like services such as housekeeping, furnishings and utility costs being included.
There’s also another huge benefit of corporate accommodation, as it’s arisen today. That’s affordability. Long term hotel stays are prohibitively expensive. They are, after all, designed for the short term tourist traveller. The financial arrangements of private rentals are also complex. With corporate accommodation, the business traveller gets a similar standard of comfort for a lower price tag. And that’s before factoring in costs such as endless dining in expensive London restaurants or paying for laundry services. Corporate accommodation includes a kitchen, and usually laundry facilities, meaning costs are instantly reduced.
When considering corporate accommodation, it’s important to first consider the length and nature of the stay. We would generally split requirements into two types, although there is a lot of overlap:
These business travellers need somewhere they can simply ‘move into’, close to the area of work, with on-hand but unobtrusive support. With this accommodation you can expect various hotel-like services, amenities and perks.
With both types of accommodation, all bills should be included. All linen and towels, as well as furnishings and kitchen equipment, appliances and utensils should be included too. All should be clean and functional and offer everything that the business traveller needs. You should expect:
In addition, you should expect Wi-Fi, and potentially access to facilities such as reception/concierge, meeting rooms, gym/spa facilities and more.
There are multiple providers of corporate accommodation in London. Unfortunately, they aren’t all created equally. You should choose a provider, such as London Serviced Apartments, which offers:
At London Serviced Apartments we work with a range of landlords to ensure that you can find the exact property you need for your business travel. We have corporate accommodation across London, ensuring that we always have the accommodation you need, where you need it.