And these migrations, whether they are interstate or international, can cost a fortune. For the start, you require a suitable and affordable place for a long or permanent stay. 

And for such cases, aparthotels suffice all the needs.

Aparthotel (the ship name for apartment and hotel) provides such guests a comprehensive package that includes all the services required for stays of months or years, say kitchen, laundry, etc.

The best part is that the cost of staying at aparthotels can be often 25-30% lesser than staying at hotels. 

Because of these factors, aparthotels are making an important place in the hospitality industry and their scope is going to increase in the coming times.

To take the real benefit of this scenario, installing technology is a must for aparthotels.

Why Do Aparthotels Need Modern Technology?

The prime reason to invest in technology for your aparthotel is that guests love it.

Technology ensures that your guests have a seamless experience throughout their stay. Right from the moment they discover your apartment and make a booking with you, to the moment they check out, technology furnishes everything.  

As stated above, most of the people who opt for aparthotels are away from families, living alone or in groups. So one thing they appreciate and need the most is technology to make their daily chores and tasks easy and efficient. 

Apart from this, today’s generation works around the atmosphere of digital devices and technology so it is necessary to make the apartment appealing and relevant to them.

Hence, if you are an apartment owner or want to start a profitable aparthotel then you shouldn’t miss out on smart apartment technology. To help you, we have a list below with the latest ones.

7 Must-Have Technologies for Your Aparthotel

To make an apartment convenient and modern, there are some essential technologies. Read this section to know what they are, how they function, and how they help you please your guests.

1. Voice-controlled furnishing

Controlling things in your apartment through voice assistance overwhelms your guests. These things include electronic devices, television systems, furniture, and much more.

Voice-command recliners, to name one, can add up to your guests’ comfort and ease.

Also, you can substitute the manual use of switchboards with the magic of Siri!

This way your guests can just say, “Hey Siri! Switch on the lights” or “Hey Siri, adjust the temperature to 63” and it will be done.

In the winter season especially, this is the technology your guests would long for. Rather than leaving the warm blanket, they would turn the lights off with only dialogue. Nothing could feel more wholesome than this!

2. Smart keys and locks

To modernize your apartment altogether, you must install smart doors.

There are various smart door systems available in the market. But, the one that can be managed through voice control can be a plus. Or you can have a smart lock system installed on your door.

Whatever the case is, try to keep a virtual / E-key for your apartment. It will reduce the cases of forgetting or losing one. With this, guests can easily receive the key on their mobile devices and access the door.

A smart door can also be connected to the electric supply of the entire room. This way, when your guests leave the apartment, it would cut off the power inside, saving on electricity.

Operating a smart door gives the utmost feeling of security. It also makes the management part easy and handy for your guest.

3. Integrated management system

If you are operating a full-fledged aparthotel business, then managing it manually will not be a good idea.

According to your requirements, you must explore and install the right technology solutions to simplify operations and stand out in the industry.

Your aparthotel can use a booking engine to get bookings from your website, a channel manager to drive booking through online portals, and a review management system to handle your online identity card.

These technologies will help you cut on the tedious work and provide the best experience to your guest. It will also enhance your occupancy rate. 

You can explore the full suite of hospitality technology we provide here.

4. Connected office furniture

Most people staying at aparthotels are working. They would be more than grateful for your apartment if you provide them with office furniture.

A dedicated space in their apartment to sit and get their work done. Besides chairs and tables, you can level up with connected electronic devices, for example, laptops, and headphones. 

It would leave a different level of an impression on your guests.

You can also add other accessories and general stationery to give a perfect zest to their working space.

5. AI-powered air conditioning

Furnishing your apartment from its very root is important.

Nowadays, air conditioners are available in every accommodation. So if you want to make your aparthotel stand out then make a shift to AI-powered air conditioners.

How does that work?

These air conditioners automatically adjust the temperature or fan speed, complementing the room temperature. So your guest does not have to fetch a remote every hour to do so. When the temperature is pleasant, the air conditioner switches off automatically, saving electricity.

This type of technology gives a pleasant stay to your guest and add up to their experience.

6. Voice assistance for room services

On your entire dashboard of smart functioning, the important one for aparthotels is voice assistance for room services.

Unlike hotels, aparthotels need a whole different level of expertise in the room service department. Your guests are there to stay for a long period and consequently need many more services.

So for every small thing, you do not want to make them call you. Instead, install smart voice-controlled service settings that let your guest ask for whatever they need. 

The AI-generated voice will answer about the status of that service to your guest. Meanwhile, it will also notify your staff of the guest’s request.  

You can also have a smart screen displaying various services you provide: laundry, sanitation, room supplies, and more. They can just tap on what they need to notify the specific department or person responsible. 

This can save your guest from getting hesitant of calling multiple times and avail of the best of your services.

7. Self-service technologies

No doubt, you must provide everything your guests ask, but they would also require a certain sense of privacy. 

To make them perform their personal affairs easily, you can lookout for endless technology for aparthotels. This can include, automatic laundry or steam iron machines, coffee makers, and other appliances for the kitchen.

Besides this, general things also count. Like clearing off their bills through online payment gateways without your personal intervention.

These amenities help your guest have a personal space. At the same time, it makes management easy and convenient.

How Can You Align These Technologies With Your Budget?

All these technologies mentioned above will come costly if you are still at the early stage of building a successful aparthotel. But there’s always a way out.

You can start with one thing at a time. Even minor changes and advancements are going to boost your image and revenue ultimately.

One more specific way is to furnish a few apartments first with all the necessary technology. Set their prices high accordingly. And when you get an upper hand at revenue through this, you can progress likewise with the other apartments.

Also, there are cost-effective ways available in the market for most of the things mentioned above. You can explore and go ahead with them.

The post How Technology Enhances Guest Experience in Aparthotels appeared first on eZee Absolute.

In this blog, I’ve covered all the aspects pertaining to serviced apartments with some tips that can help in improving your booking flow. 

What is a Serviced Apartment?

Serviced apartment is a residential flat, equipped with services and amenities that cater to guests for long and short stays.

They are fully furnished with all amenities that are required in a home, such as a bed, TV, cooking essentials, fridge, AC, and so on. Apart from that, there are other services that give serviced apartments a luxurious touch like housekeeping on call, Wi-Fi connectivity, and other additional facilities available in society/complex (swimming pool or gym).

Often termed as serviced condos and extended stays, this hospitality segment is one of the profit-making businesses these days. Let me tell you how.

Why Should You Invest in Serviced Apartments?

First, let’s take a look at the market statistics. As per the Global Serviced Apartment Industry Report (GSAIR), 2020-21 edition, by The Apartment Service Worldwide,

• In the past two years, the serviced apartments industry has seen a growth of 24% in terms of business and capacity. 
• In 2020-21, there were 12,54,743 serviced apartments available for the guests across 15,464 locations.
• The top 15 brands, including chains like Marriott, Accor, IHG, and Hilton, constitute an inventory of 6,85,303 serviced apartments at 7,817 locations.

These figures prove that the extended stays industry is booming on a rapid scale. Moreover, the current scenario of work from home has paved the way for apartment owners to re-market their property with a new approach.

In fact, I have a real-life scenario to explain why serviced apartment business is worth investing in. Back in my hometown, one of my friends had a vacant apartment, which was generally used by us for hanging out. 

One fine day, he came up to me with a business plan, which was to rent out his flat to the local tenants. But, I had a better idea. I suggested to him why not convert his flat into a serviced apartment?

Furthermore, I explained to him how it works along with the tangible profit. He was quite intrigued and quickly initiated the setup process.

While researching for this blog, I called him up to get some insights. And this is what he said: 

“There has been an influx in bookings for long stays, especially during the rainy season. In fact, I’ve got a couple of clients from nearby cities that have booked stays for a month due to their work from home policy. Even the profit earned is quite higher in comparison to regular flat rental business.”

So, you see that serviced apartments are faring well in terms of generating revenue and are in demand as well.

How to Make Money from Your Serviced Apartment Business?

Now the tips I’m sharing here can work if you have even a single apartment. Moreover, if you are planning to invest in a flat and convert into a serviced apartment, these points will be quite useful.

1. Utilise space properly

It’s important to have an understanding of space. Generally, the extended stays are either studio apartments, 1 BHK, or 2 BHK. This space determines how many guests you can accommodate in your apartment and work on the furnishing part accordingly .

Suppose you have an unfurnished studio apartment that is spacious for a maximum of 2 guests. After initial calculations, you come to a conclusion that it can be furnished with certain items, such as a bed, fridge, TV, wardrobe, and so on.

Once you are done, you plan on putting an extra bed to accommodate one more person for maximising the revenue. I would say it’s an arduous task considering the short amount of space you’ve in hand.

Even if you adjust it somehow, the place will look congested and there won’t be enough aisle space to move. Moreover, the room will lack air circulation, making it feel claustrophobic. 

That’s why it’s vital for you to have a clear understanding about your apartment’s carpet area. It would help you in gauging the space usage and making further changes.

2. Invest in important amenities

It goes without saying that serviced apartments have to be fully furnished. But, it doesn’t mean that you need to cover every inch of space with all the amenities and furniture available in the market. Let me give you a better insight on it.

There are 2 categories in the amenities that you should have in your serviced apartment:

1. Necessary amenities
2. Luxury amenities

Talking about necessary amenities, it includes the basic furniture and some vital services that are found in every home. Here are some of the mandatory ones:

1. Bed (king/queen size)
2. Table and chair/recliner/couch
3. Wardrobe
4. Fridge
5. Kitchenette facility (cooking equipment, utensils, and dishwasher)
6. Centralised/Window AC
7. Hot and cold water (24*7)
8. Free Wi-Fi access
9. Housekeeping services
10. TV with dish connection
11. 24*7 security

On the other hand, the luxury services and amenities are optional; since it depends on your budget and guests’ demands. These are some of them offered by top brands,

1. Bean bags instead of regular chair
2. Laundry facilities 
3. Smart lighting
4. Voice control gadgets (Alexa)
5. Gaming consoles (X-box, PlayStation, etc.)
6. Access to premium facilities (Swimming pool, gym, spa, etc.)
7. Hardwood/Carpet flooring
8. Parking facility
9. Resident mobile app

By opting for these or any other premium facilities, you can give your guests a sense of luxury living and have an edge over your competitors. 

3. Hire staff to maintain the property

Just like other hospitality establishments, serviced apartments also require regular maintenance in terms of housekeeping and repair works. For that, you need to have dedicated staff deployed at your property. 

I would suggest keeping a minimum of two housekeeping staff members that would be responsible for the upkeep of the property. Also, ensure that they are properly groomed, trained, and must adhere to the designed SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures).

When guests check-in at your property, don’t forget to inform them about the shift timings of housekeeping staff. 

If you are deploying a 24*7 staff on your property share their contact information with guests. In this way, they can connect with the staff whenever they want to avail housekeeping services.

Word to wise: If you want to avail any kind of deep-cleaning services by professionals or need to repair something in the apartments, opt for home-service companies. But again, it’s not advisable to go with it on a regular basis considering its cost. 

4. Bring technology to your aid

Technology has reshaped the working structure of the hospitality industry. In fact, there are several SaaS companies that provide various solutions for hospitality establishments.

Start by investing in a PMS. It will help in keeping a track of bookings, manage requisitions from a single dashboard, collecting and storing guest data, and so on. 

Furthermore, you can integrate it with a channel manager. It’ll aid you in updating real-time inventory and pushing rates on all the online portals in a single go. 

5. Divide and sell

No, it’s not something that I came up with after reading the freedom movement of India. When I say divide and sell, it means that rather than selling your apartment as a whole, you can sell it on a bedroom basis. Let me explain with an example.

For instance, you own a 2BHK serviced apartment. Now, you’ve listed the property on various booking portals with a tariff of Rs. 3500 per day. But in that way, your property can only be rented by groups and families. The other segments, like individual working professionals, couples, and solo travelers would be left out.

In order to cater to them as well, you need to adopt the divide and sell policy. It’s simple, just create a separate room category named as single room on all the online booking portals.

Once done, you can update the tariff as Rs. 2000 per room per day. 

In this way, you can maximise your bookings as well as the overall revenue. However, keep in mind that the rates you update for individual rooms should be competent in comparison to that of the whole property. 

6. Introduce packages and feasible tariffs

Another strategy to make your serviced apartment business profitable is having flexible tariffs. That’s one of the prime reasons why people opt for extended stays. 

So, while you work on your tariffs, keep the concept of log stays in mind. Additionally, you can create packages for long stays, like one week or a month. 

Also, try including meals like breakfast in the tariff. In fact, a report by Seven Rooms states that,

Around 65% of travelers opt for an accommodation facility offering free breakfast. 

Hence, when you are creating a package, do focus on the meal component. And for that, you need to have partnerships with nearby restaurants. Moreover, this will come in handy if guests want to order food from outside or try local delicacies. 

7. Have a flexible cancellation policy

Often guests tend to have changes in their travel plans, which leads to the cancellation of their existing reservations. However, the cancellation policies of accommodation facility providers are usually rigid. Which means, either they suffer a loss or the guest. 

That’s why it is recommended to have flexible cancellation policies that would be in favour of guests as well as your serviced apartment business. For instance, you can charge a penalty of 25-50% fees if the guests cancel their bookings 3 days before their check-in date. 

Flexible cancellation policies can help in boosting guests’ confidence that they can book the property without worrying about changes in plans and loss due to cancellation of reservation. This will result in improving your booking flow. 

8. Have a robust marketing strategy

Marketing is one of the important aspects for any organisation to raise awareness about their product or services amongst their audience. In fact, there are a gazillion marketing strategies that you can use to promote your serviced apartment business. 

However, it’s necessary to check which ones will work for you. Let’s take help of an example to understand it better. 

Suppose you’ve a serviced studio apartment that is spacious for one or two guests. So, promoting it to families or larger groups is a futile step. That’s why, while devising marketing strategies, you need to be aware of your target audience. 

Hence, if you are looking for ways to improve your serviced apartment’s business flow, you MUST have a robust marketing plan that should be able to capture the attention of your target audience.

9. Focus on guest satisfaction

Guest satisfaction is the essence of the hospitality industry. The primary goal is to give guests a comfortable and luxurious experience which is worth the amount of money invested. 

So, whenever you have any guest at your property, ensure you deliver the highest level of services to them. Also, try to give a personal touch to their stay by giving them local experience based recommendations. 

10. Keep a check on your online reputation

If you thought that reviews and reputation are a matter of concern only for hotels, you are wrong. Just like hotels, reviews play a vital role in the serviced apartment business. 

As per a survey done by TripAdvisor,

87% of travelers prefer to check reviews before booking any kind of hospitality business.

So, if you haven’t started collecting reviews for your serviced apartment, you should consider doing it in the first place. Also, don’t forget to reply to all the feedback, be it positive or negative.

The post 10 Best Tips To Improve Profit Of Your Serviced Apartment Business appeared first on eZee Absolute.

In this blog, I’ll share some easy serviced apartment marketing strategies with you to attract more guests.

What are the amenities and facilities in a serviced apartment?

Before we move on to serviced apartment marketing strategies, it’s important to identify and understand your core strengths. 

In any hospitality business, amenities and facilities are important USPs. Let’s take a look at some of them commonly found in serviced apartments:

• Spacious rooms
• Fully furnished kitchen
• Regular housekeeping
• Free Wi-Fi
• Access to the swimming pool in society
• 24*7 security (CCTV, guards, app-based security system)
• Entertainment facilities (Smart TV,  society’s clubhouse, garden area)
• Centralized air conditioning
• Attractive interiors
• Power back-up
• Water purifier

How to market serviced apartments?

Now that you are aware of your property’s USPs, it’s time to market them to your guests. So, without delay, let’s dig at some successful serviced apartment marketing strategies.

1. Identify your guests

One of the critical steps in any marketing strategy is identifying the target audience. Do you know about 80% of the content is marketed to the wrong audience?

Every time you promote your property among incorrect guest segments, all the effort and money goes in vain. Talking about the target audience for serviced apartments, there are four major verticals, which you can focus on:

1. Guests looking to spend a long vacation with their family in a homely environment
2. Corporate employees on an extended business tour
3. International guests
4. People relocating to the city looking for temporary accommodation.

After the pandemic, organizations initiated work from home (WFH) policy. For a change and to avoid the hassles of domestic chores, many corporate employees are opting for serviced apartments. The duration of their stay may vary from 1 week to a couple of months.

You should focus on them, as they are the new target audience for your serviced apartment.

#ProTip: You can also create a guest persona to better understand your ideal guests. If you are not aware of the concept, it is a representation of the guest demographic that is likely to stay at the property.

2. List on online booking platforms

OTAs have changed the way of booking properties. You should register on these platforms, as they can help you generate business from guests across the world. 

Many of these OTAs have started operating for a particular niche. For instance, you can find multiple websites that facilitate bookings only for serviced apartments. Some of the known ones are:

• TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals
• Rentavilla
• Couchsurfing
• Blueground
• OneFineStay
• Quest Apartments
• Agoda Homes

Apart from that, you can list your property on local real-estate websites, and other OTAs such as Airbnb, Booking.com, and Go-MMT.

3. Connect with corporate organizations

As I said earlier, business travelers and working professionals vouch for serviced apartments, if they have a prolonged stay.  

It’s better to leverage this opportunity by working in cohesion with these organizations. You can have a strategic partnership with IT firms, MNCs, BPOs, KPOs, and other such organizations facilitating WFH policy for employees. 

However, you need to have a flexible tariff structure that should be beneficial for you and the partner organization. It’s better to introduce corporate rates for this guest segment like weekly and monthly tariffs.

Moreover, these corporate organizations have recurring projects and business meetings. So, definitely, it is an excellent marketing strategy for serviced apartments.  

4. Invest in a website

I have said this in my previous blogs – websites are mandatory for every hospitality business. And, a brand website can make you stand out from the crowd.

Websites create the 1st impression on your guests, and this applies to serviced apartments also. It’s important to have engaging content with high-quality photographs of your property to capture guests’ attention.

Invest in a website builder that is easy to use while making relevant updates. Moreover, don’t forget to optimize it for better conversions. Once you’ve built your website, link it to your Google My Business listing and your serviced apartment’s social media pages.

In case you need help with developing your serviced apartment’s website, here’s a blog we have specially curated for you:

5. Promote your property with photography

One of the reasons why many serviced apartments go unnoticed is the bad quality of photos. I’ve come across many properties where the owner has uploaded only pictures of the washroom, kitchen, or hall.

Sometimes there are photos of every room, but they are either blurred or distorted. See, these kinds of pictures create a negative impression in front of guests. Remember…

via GIPHY

And, this is why there is a saying – what you see is what you get. I am not asking you to get a professional photo shoot (a great idea though).

You can click some good pictures from your smartphone in portrait mode, with a minimum resolution of 1800*1200 pixels. Moreover, you can enhance them using various photo editing apps like Adobe PS Express, Snapseed by Google, or Picsart.

6. Social media pages and groups can do wonders

Over time, social media platforms evolved from making friends to generating business. Today, millions of businesses have their presence across social media.

In fact, Facebook has a separate feature known as ‘Marketplace’, for business-minded people. If you haven’t created your serviced apartment’s page on social media platforms, do it NOW.

Another reason for doing so is to stay connected with city groups. As you might be aware, people before relocating to new places, search for accommodation in real-estate groups, like flats and flatmates in Mumbai, serviced apartments in Delhi, New York homes, flats, and PGs in Bangkok.

You can post about your serviced apartments in these groups to capture leads.

7. Highlight your locality and nearby facilities

One of the prime factors guests checks while booking a serviced apartment is its locality and nearby facilities. The former defines if the area is safe and sound for living, and the latter depicts the ease of access to daily needs.

Guests prefer serviced apartments that are located in close proximity to hospitals for emergencies. Also, nearby facilities like shopping marts, pharmacies, and restaurants. 

If your property is located at a tourist destination, you can promote local attractions. Try to include them in your content.

Blogs on these places to visit can definitely help in increasing your guest engagement. Also, highlighting the proximity of these locations from your serviced apartment can increase the chances of guests booking it.

8. Turn to WhatsApp messaging

WhatsApp is currently one of the main channels of communication in the hospitality industry.  It not only provides assistance to travelers but also converts direct bookings. So, it makes complete sense that you make WhatsApp a part of your marketing plan for your apartment. 

Now, when I say WhatsApp, I do not mean texting your guests just like that. No!

WhatsApp business comes with a bundle of features that allow you to craft an end-to-end marketing strategy.

With the right tactics, you can reach out to a large audience, maximize guest satisfaction, develop strong customer relationships, and increase sales.

9. Partner with other businesses

The serviced apartment industry is saturated. With so many options for lodging, aparthotels must go above and beyond to make their services stick out. And, partnering with other businesses can be an excellent way to tap into new clientele.

For example, you have partnered with a Vietnamese restaurant in your vicinity. Every time guests are in your apartment, you provide them with the restaurant’s menu for ordering food.  Now, the restaurant has also placed flyers of your serviced apartment in their restaurant. 

Isn’t this a great advertising idea for apartments? It is, indeed! 

Businesses can create larger promotions while enjoying greater cost savings when they team up. If you follow this for your serviced apartment, you can save time and money on separate promotions and work together to create an impactful marketing campaign.

The post 9 Easy Serviced Apartment Marketing Strategies to Use in 2024 appeared first on eZee Absolute.