Time to check into the extended-stay hotel… again. What if there’s a better way to travel for work? Enter short-term housing. When you’re traveling for weeks or months at a time, you want a comfortable place to look forward to after a long day. Explore the benefits — and drawbacks — of settling into a short-term apartment rental vs. an extended-stay hotel for your temporary work assignment.
Extended Stay Hotels
Pros
- Extended stay hotels are budget-friendly. Hunt for promotions before you book and corporate deals for business travelers — there’s a good chance to score a great deal when booking a long stay. Typically, the longer you stay the cheaper the rate. Extended stay hotels offer flexibility. Stay for a few days or a few months — it’s easy to book for however long you need and extend your stay if needed. Plus, there are no long-term contracts.
- Extended stay hotels are usually in a convenient location with shuttle service to and from the airport.
- Extended stay hotels typically have all the basic amenities in your room (WiFi, TV, refrigerator, stove, microwave, desk, etc.) and access to other hotel services, such as meeting rooms, a pool, laundry service, fitness center, and continental breakfast.
Cons
- Deciding on an extended stay hotel isn’t always straightforward. When you’re researching an extended stay hotel vs. apartment that has everything you need there are so many options with varying amenities and costs it can be difficult and overwhelming.
- Extended stay hotel pricing isn’t always transparent. Often, the rates advertised on travel websites don’t include expensive taxes, “resort” fees, and more. And they add up quick!
- You can’t personalize an extended stay suite. Amenities, like kitchen appliances, may be limited. You may be forced to sacrifice comfort for function or function for a better deal when you shouldn’t need to sacrifice any of those things at all.
- Sharing spaces isn’t always convenient. You may find yourself fighting other hotel guests for space in a meeting room, laundry room, fitness center, and even a shared kitchen at some properties.
- Extended stay hotels aren’t always ideally-located. Such lodging options are often located near highways out of convenience, which can diminish your feeling of safety and privacy. This also may put them farther from grocery stores or the city center.
Temporary Housing
Pros
- The price of temporary housing is typically more predictable. Say goodbye to annoying fees for things like parking, housekeeping, and booking, that add up quickly. While some temporary housing options might be a little more expensive on the front end, you’ll save way more cash in the long run.
- Temporary housing really can be a home-away-from-home! You’ll have plenty of space, actual rooms, and easy access to a dishwasher, ironing board, washing machine, dryer, stove, oven, and all the comforts of home. You may even get to furnish the place yourself — and with CORT’s easy furniture rental options, it’s a breeze!
- Short-term rentals afford you the convenience of lock-and-leave living. If you go back home for a long weekend or abroad on vacation, you can leave your car in the driveway, your deadbolt locked, and your stuff stowed away safely with minimal worries.
- Temporary housing makes a healthy lifestyle more manageable with a full kitchen. Eating healthy on-the-go is difficult! With a full kitchen and pantry rather than a kitchenette and mini-fridge, you can stock up and meal prep for whatever life throws at you.
- Temporary housing helps restore some normalcy to your routine. It can be difficult to set boundaries while you’re traveling for business, especially when confined to a hotel room — you literally never leave your (home) office. A short-term apartment gives you the ability to cook a meal, eat at a full table, work at your desk in an office, relax on a living room sofa after work, even do a load of laundry.
- Temporary housing offers a lot more privacy and a quieter atmosphere (no loud TV coming through the walls from next door). Properties will most likely be in a residential area rather than next to the highway, making you feel safer – and making a morning jog around the block or an evening on the patio ideal.
Cons
- Finding a short-term housing option may take a little more in-depth research than booking a hotel.
- Temporary housing may not come with some of the services that a hotel has, such as housekeeping, continental breakfast, or room service. Cleaning services are typically available, but you may need to coordinate or pay an additional fee. Sorry, no mini bottles of shampoo, either.
- Depending on what kind of short-term apartment rental you choose, you may lose access to a fitness center or jacuzzi — not 100 percent necessary for a business trip, but certainly a bonus.
- Some short-term apartments may require a minimum one-month stay and not be as flexible for shorter or less frequent trips.
Leaning towards a short-term apartment over an extended stay hotel? Get everything you need to make your new, temporary place feel like home with all-inclusive furniture and decor rentals from CORT. From sectionals and mattresses to lamps and appliances, we’ve got you covered.
