Why Aparthotels are the Future of Travel After Coronavirus

What will travel look like after coronavirus? We’ve talked a bit before about the most covid-secure city accommodation currently available – but it’s easy to forget that the pandemic will not last forever. We’re looking at the post-covid world with a lot of excitement; the longer-term trends in travel behaviour across the globe seem to be heading in the direction of serviced apartments. Here’s why.

The problems with Airbnb

It’s hard to ignore the impact that Airbnb has had on the travel sector. The home-sharing platform was first launched only a year before us, in 2008, and has shot up to a peak valuation of $31 billion.

But if it all seems a bit too good to be true, that’s because it is. For a range of different reasons, cities across the globe are looking to get rid of companies like Airbnb.
Most notably, the service has had a detrimental impact on the areas in which it is most used. Research has shown that as Airbnb listings increase in cities, rents rise proportionately due to the resulting housing shortages.

Moreover, as estate agencies have come to realise that short-term leases are more profitable than long-term rents, neighbourhoods have been hollowed out and suffered from over-tourism.

And then there’s the perennial problem of hidden fees and lack of transparency upon booking. Some Airbnb customers have found themselves paying well over double the price of their stay on a one-time cleaning fee.

The sustainable alternative to Airbnb

Despite all these problems, Airbnb remains extremely popular. The simple fact is, people like that home-from-home feeling of staying in someone else’s apartment whilst on their travels.

So where can you find that home-away-from-home comfort within a more sustainable model? Once again, aparthotels may provide the solution. With private living areas and bathrooms as well as fully equipped kitchens, aparthotels recreate the convenience and autonomy of home life – and we don’t bother with the hidden fees and tricky contracts.

Most cost-efficient city accommodation

Given the far greater number of amenities available in an aparthotel, you might expect that they come out as more expensive than the alternatives. But when Acomodeo crunched the numbers last year, this wasn’t the case.

For stays of longer than 4 days, aparthotels come out as more cost efficient overall. Unlike the hotel model, aparthotel rates decrease over time, rewarding longer stayers (for our own part, we’re offering 40% off accommodation for anyone staying with us from longer than a fortnight).

The effect of remote working on travel

However long the coronavirus pandemic lasts, remote working has become a permanent fact of life, and this is having a significant effect on travel. The average length of stay in the sector is increasing; now that people are no longer bound to their offices they can afford to take longer breaks and work remotely on their travels.

For this reason, the aparthotel model has come up trumps. It financially rewards longer stayers, and aparthotel suites double up as more practical personal office spaces than alternative accommodation types.

For all your travel needs, Supercity Aparthotels are here to help. Our fully equipped suites offer all the comforts of home and the practicalities of the office with the added benefit of a flexible weekly service. See our current offers now.