It’s in everyone’s interest to find the most favorable and most suitable option when we travel, or when we seek accommodation for any purpose – whether long-term or short-term one. The truth is that everyone first thinks of hotels, which is somewhat logical. You pay, you have all the benefits depending on what type you choose and that’s it.
However, as times change and we encounter hundreds of innovative and compelling options every day, we’re increasingly coming into contact with the idea of renting fully-furnished apartments.
This type of accommodation is, indeed, similar to a hostel, except that, in addition to a sleeping area, it also contains other basic parts that other flats or houses contain, such as a bathroom, kitchen and other additional rooms. Why is this a good (or bad) idea? We’ll find out today – thanks to this text.
First of all, let’s hear why you should definitely consider options like this one next time you’re thinking of hitting the road and enjoying yourself in a foreign country or any other situation.
1. Fewer costs
Believe it or not, although it seems to contain more things than a regular hotel room, an apartment is definitely less pricey. Of course, the price will vary depending on which area of the city you have chosen and how luxurious the furniture in the accommodation is. Therefore, this factor should also be considered during the selection process. It isn’t the same to stay in serviced apartments in London city centre and in the suburbs, which can be even kilometers away from the center.
Even if you aren’t there only as a visitor, but you temporarily need a place to live or don’t have the conditions to look for a flat to rent, you’ll spend much less than you’d give to a hotel or rent an apartment for a longer period of time. So, if you don’t mind preparing your own food and cleaning your own space, then this is definitely an option for you.
2. Available benefits
As we mentioned above in the introduction, if you pay for a hotel, you get a room. One room. That’s the end of the matter. However, in case this second option seems more tempting for you (at least enough to choose it instead), you’ll also have other facilities and some extra space at your disposal.
When we say other facilities, we mean your own kitchen with a refrigerator and a sink and even a separate living room where you can enjoy outside the sleeping area. Literally, it feels like living in a regular flat, as you have everything you need in one place – there’s no need to contact the reception, ring the room service nor any other support service if you don’t want it, it’s all up to you.
3. Business meetings and working in groups
Can you imagine yourself working with two, three or more colleagues in a tiny space that has only a double bed, a table and a chair? Of course not. This is usually unfeasible, and if you take your colleagues with you on the trip, a hostel is a rather inappropriate option. But in case you have several rooms at your disposal, as well as additional sofas, armchairs and tables, this problem will probably vanish.
Also, when you need to host business pals or hold a business meeting, it’s much simpler when there’s enough space to accommodate all of them and when you don’t really have to worry about whether there’ll be enough chairs or seats. There are times when it’s impossible to do this either. That’s why accommodation providers like Farawayhome tend to place their buildings and objects near some hubs or business centers, although they offer 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom serviced apartments in London, Berlin and a few other lovely European metropoles.
And now, what might be the cons of this alternative?
1. Unreliable owners and unclear conditions
Hotel chains are often required to operate appropriately as deviation from this leads to inevitable problems. In addition, in such cases, their reputation may take a downward trajectory. Therefore, it’s quite clear that the owners mustn’t play with it in any case.
As for this second option, unfortunately, we can never know if something is reliable if it doesn’t already have an outstanding reputation and if there are no good recommendations. Anything that doesn’t match this poses a potential risk to our pocket, and often to our nerves as well. For this reason, paying enough attention to each point of the contract or additional conditions is crucial for a problem-free stay in such space.
2. You’ll maybe need to do some things on your own
Such facilities, as we have already understood, often have additional services that sometimes include cleaners or maids that change the bedding and clean the space. However, it usually happens that they come once or twice a week, which automatically means that you must be ready to take care of the cleanliness during their absence.
This also applies to cooking and food preparation – although renting cheap serviced apartments in London or Berlin, for example, is less costly than other similar alternatives, you may have to pay for the food you buy and store yourself. In other scenarios, it’s assumed that occasionally you even have an all-inclusive service, which is definitely not often the case here. So, if you want to bother as little as possible and not have additional maintenance obligations, then it may be better to consider hotels.
3. It might not be to your liking
Yes, this happens as well. That sofa might be so cozy and soft, but… does that color remind you of a rotten peach or something? Horrible! You might think that the color of the walls is too vivid, or that the furniture doesn’t match your esthetic criteria, however, you won’t be able to change it, as there are pretty small chances that you’ll be allowed to do it.
Always remember – that’s not your own flat and you can’t do whatever you prefer with the things inside. True that – you won’t be able to do it in other kinds of rentable space either, unless you agree differently with the landlords.
There – now you have three benefits, but also three disadvantages of making a decision to give a chance to furnished variations of classic apartments for renting. What truly matters is that there are no general perfect solutions – it will all depend on your personal preferences, so think twice and think wise before you act.
