By Eva Lacalle
Marked by changing traveling patterns and blurred lines between working and living, the new era of hospitality shows no signs of slowing down. From bleisure travel to slomads, serviced apartments have a perfect opportunity to grab the spotlight – and some extra revenue.
The trick is to stay on top of trends and implement them before your competitors do.
Top 6 serviced apartment trends
We’ll explore the most relevant trends for serviced apartments – sustainability, multi-functional spaces, the rise of new target clients, extended stays, and much more. Keep reading to discover them all.
1. Sustainability
Sustainability is no longer a trend – it’s a necessity. Hoteliers are aware of climate change and their role in its escalation, so now they’re trying to reduce the impact by making their operations more environmentally friendly.
Usually, serviced apartments drive sustainability by reducing housekeeping to save on resources. Here are some other ideas:
- Start to recycle and compost
- Use eco-friendly cleaning products
- Provide reusable napkins instead of the single-use ones
- Opt for bed linen with natural fibers
- Choose vintage furniture over new furniture
All of these will help your property play into the “reduce, reuse, recycle” philosophy and attract guests who value eco-friendliness in a property.
For more tips, check out the best sustainability practices.
2. Multi-functional spaces
Skip this one at your own risk – mixed-use spaces are here to stay, and they’re a fantastic way to diversify your revenue. Transform your serviced apartments into dynamic, fluid spaces that meet the diverse needs of modern guests. Start by creating multi-purpose spaces that can host co-working, meetings, and events.
You can achieve this without building an extension or tearing down any walls. You don’t even need to buy a different software to manage them.
3. New target audiences
The digital nomad market is booming, as are work-from-home and business retreats, fueling the success of temporary housing and serviced apartments. Your job is to attract these emerging target audiences through social media campaigns, a robust lead-generation strategy and partnerships with local businesses.
And over in business travel, companies need a place to host retreats and team meetings. Serviced apartments can offer the informality and teambuilding aspect that is almost impossible to achieve in a bland hotel environment. All you need is projectors, sufficient seating, and meeting space.
4. Extended stays
Extended stays are a trend that goes hand in hand with serviced apartments. But what’s driving the sudden increase in the average length of stay? Mostly it’s bleisure travel, where guests add a few days to their business trips. There’s also the sustainability aspect of reducing carbon footprint by staying somewhere longer instead of traveling more often.
5. Social media
Social media has become a key factor in influencing traveler behavior, so try making your serviced apartments look as “instragrammable” as possible.
Beautifully curated social media channels attract millennials and Gen Z. As these guests are more likely to be digital nomads, they’ll choose serviced apartments with that extra flair and publish it on their feeds.
6. Authentic guest experience
With so many places and types of accommodations to choose from, the most important trend to remember is going above and beyond. Curate more experiential stays, with added services like guided tours or a specialty coffee stand in the lobby that makes check-in more pleasant.
Another way to go above and beyond is by creating a unique experience. Leverage your local community to deliver a sense of authenticity: let local artists decorate the rooms and offer meals from local chefs and wineries. You could sell packages with local products as souvenirs. That’s how you create a one-of-a-kind experience.
Conclusion
We’ve looked at the top six serviced apartment trends to keep an eye on. Now you can implement them, adapt your strategies and reach new potential guests.
By paying close attention to social media, delivering authenticity and creating multi-purpose spaces, your serviced apartments will become an unmissable go-to place for digital nomads, remote workers, business travelers, Millennials and Gen Z guests.
