If you’re going on an extended business trip, you may be all too familiar with the hotel scene. Land, check-in, unpack, pack, check-out, and take off is a perpetual cycle you know well, maybe you’ve even become a hotel room coffee connoisseur. But there has to be a better way to do things on the road because if you have to store a week’s worth of food in a mini fridge just one more time, you’re going to self-destruct. Are we close?
You could also be an employee who’s in the process of transferring to a new city’s offices. If you’re relocating for work, you’re probably also up against a wall with where to stay until you find the perfect place to call home, and staying in a hotel is going to get expensive if it takes more than a few weeks to find the right place. This is where corporate housing companies come in. They’re a great option for both of these scenarios, and here’s 8 reasons why:
1. Save Yourself or the Company Some Cash
If you’re always going back to the same city for two weeks here or three weeks there worth of work, that hotel bill is going to be insane. Your boss will be a happy camper if you can find a more cost-effective option for extended accommodations, and most hotels aren’t very flexible on that.
Sure, some will offer a 4th night free if you stay for three, but in the grand scheme of things, whether you’re in town on business or here looking for a permanent place to live, you don’t need to be spending a hundred or more dollars per night for a king size bed, desk, and stale comped bagels. Corporate housing companies can find apartments in the area for you that have biweekly and monthly rates that don’t break the budget completely.
2. More Freedom and Privacy
There isn’t an adult out there that likes to feel like they’re tiptoeing to their room after curfew any time they come in late. Hotels definitely feel like that! You have to go past the gossipy front desk clerk who’s on nights and stares at you while you pass and get onto the elevator. Then once you get upstairs, you have to get down a long hall to your room without disturbing anyone else – and sometimes there is no graceful way to get the door to your room open. Once you’re inside, you are worried about how loud your TV is, and you think you can hear the couple next door fighting. Yeah, hotels are great! (If you go to bed at 9PM with a pair of earplugs for however long you’re there.
Housing companies get you into a place of your own. You don’t need to do all of that exposed living, and you can come and go as you please. You know, because you are an adult and not a college kid in a dorm room.
3. Finally, Some Space
Being trapped in a shoebox of a hotel room is suffocating. They try to make it as comfortable as possible, but I’m sure you’ve done better as a bachelor than you’re doing in your current temp dwelling. Consulting with a corporate housing company is going to mean potentially living in a condo or townhouse while you make arrangements for permanent housing or take on a big project and need to stay over for a bit.
It opens up your world in a big way because your bathroom isn’t 4 ft. from your bed, and you have a living room and workstation that’s separate from where you put your clothing and sleep. Some people are able to stay in suites, but it’s way too expensive in a hotel. Those housing firms out there for travelling and relocating professionals can offer you so much more.
4. Amenities That Make it Feel Like Home
True, you may only be overseeing the team at the new branch for a month tops, but you deserve to have a real home base while you work hard. Some hotels can offer a few of the same amenities as short-stay condos, but rarely do you get everything all at once. Go through an agency that can find you a temporary rental; you can have laundry, an on-site fitness room, regular garbage collection, and a laundry room! Maybe you can get 2 out of 4 of those things at a hotel. You can even find rental option with laundry in the apartment, and who’s going to pass that up?
5. No More Pseudo-Kitchen
Professionals who are always on the road have spent their fair share of time with the infamous 8 cup coffeemaker and 4 cubic feet of space they call a fridge. You’re not even aloud to have a hotplate in your room, and it takes 6 minutes to heat up a burrito in the microwave you get…and that’s if you’re lucky! Housing companies always provide options that have full kitchens, so you can ditch that ramen noodle diet you’ve been on for the last 3 months, and finally cook a meal. Of course, you will have to do the dishes, but who cares! You’re baking on your day off instead of ordering takeout, and that feels great.
6. Safe and Secure Lodgings
Not every hotel you end up in is very secure. The parking lot might be a hang out for local thieves, and you don’t know who’s lurking in the hallways when you’re asleep. In addition, chamber maids will be in your room to change out the bedding, towels, and wipe up every so often.
Although the world should be a wonderful place where we can trust everyone, it isn’t, and it can make you feel really uneasy about going to work when you know someone has direct access to your belongings. Researching a temporary condo or apartment rental can help you find a place to stay with underground parking, security cameras, and residents-only access. That way you can think about work when you’re at work, and not the maid who could be stealing your things.
7. More Time to Choose a Permanent Home
When you’ve been put up by your company in new digs during the relocation process, it’s always better to go for a corporate housing placement if you want to avoid having to make a hasty decision about where you’re going to rent or purchase a home. Because temporary condo and apartment rentals are so cost-effective and comfortable to stay in, you can take the time you need to learn about the community, its different neighbourhoods, and the housing prospects of the area. You don’t want to feel rushed when getting into a permanent home, and living in a hotel puts a lot of pressure on you to simply get out as fast as you can when you should be focused on finding the best match for you and your partner or family.
8. For Convenience’s Sake
People don’t realize it at first, but most of the rentals available through corporate housing are great for their proximity to amenities like shopping, restaurants, and sometimes the office itself. This way you can curb needless spending and wasted time that are draining your resources when you’re usually forced to commute. This is especially useful in large cities where the sky train, subway, taxis, and a short walk are all available as alternative methods of transportation.
In a nutshell, you’re going to benefit way more from using a housing assignment firm that’s geared towards travelling professionals and those who have been transferred to new locations. You can’t beat the freedom and access to all kinds of great amenities, and having your own kitchen and laundry is something you’re never going to see in a hotel. Well, unless your company is going to splurge on a suite long-term. Go with a corporate housing company, and you’ve got someone watching your back when you come to a new town and have to stay awhile. It’s more than worth it.
