Serviced apartments have been a popular choice for temporary accommodation for business travellers for a few years now, and for good reason.

They have everything you need when you’re away from home.

While we admit that for a one or two night stay the price range can be quite comparable between the two options and some people prefer to book a hotel, the benefits of serviced apartments are simply too many to ignore for longer stays. Apartments give you the feel of home, more space, more privacy and kitchen facilities for the same, if not cheaper, rate.

On the other hand, staying in a hotel can be a welcome break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. This accommodation option is the antithesis of the standard way of life and can be the change we’re looking for when travelling.

But before we answer the question of which is better for a business trip – a hotel or an apartment – ​​let’s take a deeper look at the pros and cons of both options.

Space and comfort
There is no doubt that the most obvious advantage of giving up a hotel room is the greater comfort and space offered by a serviced apartment. An apartment has on average 40% more space than a hotel room. Often, a one-bedroom apartment has the same rental rate as a regular hotel room, which according to the categorization requirements must be between 8 and 18m2 depending on the hotel standard. This means that in an apartment, in addition to more space, you have separate rooms for sleeping, eating, working and resting.

Instead of eating meals in a hotel bed, being careful not to spill anything on the duvet, in an apartment you can eat at a table.

After work, we can sit comfortably on a couch or in an armchair. There is even enough space for meetings or inviting guests for dinner.

Many apartments have a balcony/terrace, which can be used on warm days, while in hotel rooms (for safety reasons) you cannot even open the window.

Privacy and freedom
Regardless of the type of serviced apartment you choose, you will always enjoy more privacy than in a hotel. In many serviced apartments, there is no staff on site at all, check-in and check-out is self-service - it is done without the need to meet the staff/owner of the apartment, using secure boxes/key safes or electronic locks.

You can check in at any time and do not have to speak to anyone at the reception upon arrival, the same applies to departure.

In an apartment, no one cares when (and with whom) we leave and return. In a hotel this is impossible, because every time we have to go through the reception, and sometimes even leave the key before leaving and then pick it up later.

In addition, there are other guests and staff constantly hanging around the hotel corridor, we never know who is living next door. It can turn out that the company will be inconvenient and there will be no relaxation. In an apartment, we are alone with ourselves and have much more privacy. And room service doesn't bother us in the middle of the day.

But just because there is no staff on site doesn't mean there's no cleaning service at all (hence the serviced apartment). Your apartment will be cleaned and towels/sheets changed at least once a week, the frequency can be increased by ordering additional cleaning if needed.

Cooking and Dining
While it’s certainly convenient to have the option to eat at a hotel restaurant, after a week you can easily exhaust all the menu options and long for a good home-cooked meal.

A serviced apartment can give you the best of both worlds. If you want room service but still have the convenience of a kitchen, a serviced apartment or apartment with the option to order breakfast directly to your apartment is a good choice.

If you’re away from home for a week, a month or more, eating at the hotel restaurant every day isn’t good for your waistline (especially if the breakfast is buffet style ;)) or cost-effective.

Apartments have fully equipped kitchens/kitchenettes with fridges and storage space, and come with pots, pans, utensils, cutlery and crockery that a hotel room can’t provide. This means that in a serviced apartment you have everything you need to prepare your favorite meals, in the comfort of your own apartment.

So you can have breakfast at any time you want, without having to go out to a restaurant.

And when business negotiations last until late or we suddenly get hungry at night, there is nothing to stop us from preparing something to eat, just like at home.

In a hotel, however, watch out for the minibar - this small, inconspicuous fridge filled with tempting gadgets can win over your willpower and turn out to be expensive ;)

Hotel and Apartment Amenities
We’ve already covered the kitchen facilities available in apartments, but there are many other amenities that can help make your stay more comfortable.

Many apartments have a dishwasher, meaning you don’t have to wash up after yourself, and a washer/dryer in the apartment is ideal for long stays. If your apartment doesn’t have a washing machine or you prefer someone to do your laundry for you, there will often be dry cleaners or self-service laundries nearby.

Apartments will also likely have an iron and ironing board, just for your use. In hotels, however, they are not standard equipment in every room, and can often be borrowed from reception, but there are usually not as many in the hotel as there are rooms, which means you’ll need to book and wait in advance.

If you decide to choose an apartment, you can forget about having your suitcases lying around the room during your stay. Apartments offer large and spacious wardrobes, and some even have walk-in closets, where you can conveniently store all your clothes.

Most serviced apartments also come with free Wi-Fi, and some even offer a Playstation/Xbox, Netflix, and office equipment rentals like printers and scanners.

Choosing an apartment doesn’t have to mean giving up on the extras either, as there are a number of properties that offer gyms, bars, restaurants, and grocery stores on-site.

Experience and authenticity
Hotels certainly offer some conveniences, although they often lack a touch of local culture. Apartments, on the other hand, offer a different experience. Who hasn’t dreamed of staying in a typical New York City apartment while visiting the Big Apple? Or perhaps a romantic 19th-century loft apartment while traveling to Paris?

Despite the amenities that hotels offer, they lack the added authenticity that more and more people are looking for when staying away from home. Short-term rentals offer the opportunity to get to know a city or destination better.

Price of rent
We’ve reviewed the long list of benefits of apartments vs. hotel rooms above, but what about the cost? How much more does it cost to stay in an apartment than in a hotel? So - nothing! In fact, you are more likely to save money by choosing to stay in an apartment (serviced flat).

A one-bedroom apartment is usually the same price as an equivalent standard hotel room for a single night. The difference is that the prices of accommodation in serviced apartments are very often dynamically priced depending on the length of your stay. So if you are staying in a hotel for a day or a month, you will most often get the same rate per night. However, if you are staying in a serviced apartment for a longer period, the rate per night will most often drop.

One factor that contributes to this is that the costs of servicing and cleaning the apartment after departure are much higher in the case of individual flats/apartments than in hotel rooms.

To sum up, a hotel can only defend itself if the stay is short. An apartment, on the other hand, is perfect for both short and long-term stays.

So by choosing an apartment instead of the four walls of a hotel room, you can save money while gaining more comfort, space and privacy.