Corporate Housing Shoppers Blog – Advice, News, and More

Choosing a place to live requires a thoughtful, practical approach. Although you may only be in corporate housing a short while, it is still a good idea to be pragmatic when deciding upon a location and budget for your furnished apartment. Here are five practical ideas to assist you in finding the best housing for your temporary stay:

1. Budget. Corporate apartments are typically less expensive than most comparable hotels. The key word is “comparable.” If you are looking for a bargain basement deal you may be better off with certain less desirable hotel chains. Although, if you stay in a hotel you won’t have the advantage of a fully equipped kitchen, so you’ll end up spending more on eating out.
2. Size of apartment. I’ve spoken with people on the phone who wanted to pack six people into a two bedroom apartment. Be practical when choosing the size of the apartment. Most states have maximum tenant laws restricting the number of people per bedroom to two. These days it is not uncommon to put two twin beds in a bedroom, but expect the cost of the apartment to increase slightly because your provider will need to cover the added utilities of an extra person.
3. Pets. Certain breeds of pets are discouraged for insurance reasons. If you have a pet, make sure you describe the breed, age, and weight to the provider when making a housing request. This way your provider can select a property for you that best meets your needs.
4. Features and amenities. If you prefer the look of stainless steel appliances and granite countertops, let your provider know. Also many properties have desirable amenities such as a fitness center, a coffee lounge, a theatre room, and/or a swimming pool. Make sure you select a property that allows you to maintain important routines, such as exercising daily.
5. Location. Choose a practical location. If you are working in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, it may not make sense to live below 14th Street. On the other hand, if downtown living best suits your style, then make sure that your apartment is near public transportation. Being near major highways, train or bus stops, or even within walking distance of your workplace will make your temporary assignment that much more enjoyable.

There are many more reasons to use temporary furnished apartments than I could possibly fit into this blog. While you might stay in a hotel for any vacation or business trip that goes less than 30 days, when you need to stay a little longer using corporate housing can translate into big savings for you or your company. Here are seven reasons why people use corporate housing:

1.) Relocation. Many people have found a new job in another town and haven’t sold their home yet. They choose to live in corporate housing while the real estate market recovers because it means they will only need to move their personal belongings once.
2.) Remodeling. When a home renovation project requires the occupants to vacate for an extended period of time, many people move into corporate housing. They do this not only because it’s more cost effective, but also because the presence of a fully equipped kitchen saves them money on eating out.
3.) Purchasing a home. For those who have been lucky enough to sell their home and have yet to close on their next home, there are temporary furnished apartments. This is advantageous because it gives you and your family more room to stretch out and relax than a hotel room would.
4.) Military/TDY. Military personnel on a TDY in a city far from home choose to live in corporate housing over a hotel. Oftentimes furnished apartments are in properties that have fitness centers on site, and are within a short drive from the base.
5.) Vacation. Retirees wishing to travel for one to two months at a time, or grandparents coming to the area to help out with a newly born grandchild prefer corporate housing to a hotel. It’s possible to rent a furnished apartment with a pull out couch, so extended family members and friends can visit during their stay.
6.) Divorce or separation. Spouses enduring a separation or divorce often move into corporate housing while the legal issues are resolved. This gives the family more time to divide up personal belongings. Corporate apartments have all of the details managed by a dedicated team of housing specialists, so the occupants have more time to dedicate to what’s really important.
7.) Extended medical treatment. Furnished apartments are the best option for patients undergoing an extended medical treatment. They are often quieter than a hotel where noisy vacationers come and go, and they can be located on the first floor or in an elevator building.

Seven Las Vegas neighborhoods to consider...

Deciding upon a neighborhood in which to live in Las Vegas can be a gamble. Whether you’re on a temporary assignment there, or relocating there permanently, it is a good idea to vet out the different Las Vegas suburbs and neighborhoods by first living in them temporarily through Las Vegas corporate housing.  Corporate housing, also known as furnished apartments or serviced apartments, is a complete housing package that includes all rent, furniture, housewares, linens, and utilities including local telephone and basic cable. Furnished apartments have the best that both apartments and hotels can offer because for example a corporate apartment has double the square footage of the average hotel room and includes a kitchen fully stocked with all cooking essentials. In fact, all you will need is a bag of groceries and a suitcase with your personal belongings. While Las Vegas serviced apartment leases are generally short term leases of around 3 months, they can also be as little as 30 days or as long as several years. If you’re looking for a Las Vegas corporate apartment, here are seven options you may want to consider:

1. Downtown Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Strip is where the excitement begins, and if you love the lights of the big city then why not live there? Corporate housing on the Strip is luxurious and has the easiest accessibility to all that Las Vegas has to offer.
2. Lake Las Vegas. Only 17 miles from the Strip, Lake Las Vegas sits in the desert like an oasis. The suburb has world-class hotels and spas, recreation on the lake, and a championship golf course. Lake Las Vegas furnished apartments are upscale and more laid back than the Strip.
3. Green Valley Ranch. If you’re in the market for Green Valley Ranch corporate housing, ask that it be within walking distance of the District or the local resort. The District is an upscale shopping destination with high-end stores and dining. The resort has a casino, spa, and its own nightclubs. Green Valley Ranch has its own excitement apart from the glitz of the Strip, but with a more suburban feel.
4. Seven Hills. The ancient city of Rome was founded on seven hills, and it is from this that the city takes its name. Like all great communities, Seven Hills has access to a superior roads system. It is within a short drive from both the I-215 Beltway and Interstate 15. It also has recreation such as golfing at the Rio Secco golf course, or enjoying the four parks that the city has to offer. All roads will lead you to a Seven Hills furnished apartment.
5. Anthem. Anthem is known for its country club neighborhoods, and also for its active adult retirement communities. If you live in Anthem corporate housing, then much of your day-to-day life is going to revolve around the local country club. The country club has many gated communities, tennis, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and a championship golf course designed by Hale Irwin and Keith Foster.
6. Inspirada. The first and only New Urbanist community in the Las Vegas area, Inspirada corporate apartments will inspire you with their design. New Urbanism is an urban design movement that began in the 1980s and promotes walkable neighborhoods and has a variety of housing types to appeal to a variety of job types. Inspirada was not only laid out with beautiful architecture and design, but it was created with the health of its residents in mind. The community offers a variety of recreational activities to keep its members healthy and active.
7. Summerlin. Summerlin corporate housing appeals to corporate travelers with families because of the many public and private schooling options. The tree-lined streets and European roundabouts all lend themselves to what is a beautifully laid out city. There are also a variety of recreation and entertainment activities that make it easy to have children in Summerlin.

Living in Las Vegas corporate housing will give you more time to enjoy the entertainment and excitement that the city has to offer. Your corporate housing provider’s support staff will make sure that your staff is stress free. Furnished apartments will give you more leisure time than any other housing option can. Choosing to live in Las Vegas is an easy decision. Deciding which neighborhood or suburb to live in should be the most difficult part of your stay.

What better way to vet out the different Salt Lake neighborhoods than through corporate housing?  Corporate housing is defined as being a furnished apartment, complete with rent, furniture, housewares, linens and all utilities including local telephone and basic cable.  It offers on average double the square footage of a hotel room (a bonus if you’re carting little ones or a pet along) and many more amenities than a hotel can offer.  Normally, corporate housing is a short term lease of around 3 months, although shorter or longer stays can be arranged.  If you’re looking for corporate housing in the Salt Lake City area, here are three neighborhoods in which you will find yourself remarking, “This is the place:”

• Cottonwood/Midvale is centrally located in the middle of the valley, close to canyon access and close to the I-215 belt route.  In 2007, Money magazine rated Cottonwood Heights as # 100 on their Best Places to live list.  A few months in corporate housing in the Cottonwood/Midvale area will find you wanted to extend your assignment.

• Sandy/West Jordan, in the South part of the valley, offers easy access to I-15.  Both populous cities (West Jordan is the 4th largest city in the state of Utah), the Sandy/West Jordan area offers a taste of the big city life, with all of the best features of its smaller city status.

• Downtown Salt Lake City is modern and fun, and the center for shopping and restaurants.  Here you get all the cosmopolitan touches of a large urban center, unspoiled by breathtaking views of the mountains and valley.  The ski slopes are a short drive away—allowing you to balance your life between work and play, and between city and nature.

Salt Lake City corporate housing should allow you more time to enjoy the city than if you were to go it alone.  With a friendly support staff on hand to make sure that the washing machine is spinning properly and that your cable is properly installed, furnished apartments create free time like no other housing option.  Deciding to live in a corporate apartment in Salt Lake City is easy.  With so many friendly suburbs and trendy neighborhoods in Salt Lake City, choosing an area that suits your style should be the most difficult part of your stay.

CNN Money.com recently published an interesting article about Paul Ziff, who is president of Zenith International. Ziff travels solo 60-80 days out of the year, and offers advice on how to get more enjoyment out of your business trip. Some tips from Ziff include going to baseball parks just before the game, when certain seats are released inexpensively, and putting a piece of yellow tape on your luggage to make it more easily recognizable in an airport baggage claim. The article is entertaining and well worth a read.

This Fall Congress stands to vote on legislation that would allow airline passengers the right to leave a plane that has been waiting to take off for three hours or more. The bill would require airlines to provide food, water and bathrooms to passengers stranded on flights unable to take off or access a gate. Is this legislation needed? A USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Transportation Department data found that more than 200,000 domestic passengers have been confined to more than 3,000 planes for three hours or more since January 2007. The most famous and recent example is of a flight that was stranded on the tarmac overnight, while passengers complained of a total lack of food and water as well as an unclean bathroom. In 1999 airlines successfully lobbied to keep a similar bill from passing by promising to live up to voluntary customer service commitments. Clearly these were empty promises and it is time that some action was taken.

My brother is a business traveler and one of the ways that we keep in touch with him while he’s out of the country is through programs like Skype. The effects of video conferencing on business travel is not as clear cut as NBTA’s online videos on the subject would have you believe. Yes, on the one hand video conferencing does eliminate the need for some business travel. But the trips it eliminates are the shorter, more expensive ones. The impact of video conferencing on the longer trips is this: it’s easier to create contract and temporary jobs now because of the ability to telecommute. More contract jobs means more business travel, not less.

According to the NBTA, or National Business Travel Association, business travel has dropped 10% from 2008, and is being scrutinized by politicians and the press as an unnecessary expenditure. The article goes on to say, and rightly so, that persuasion is easiest when done in person and business travel creates jobs. What’s needed is an effort to streamline the waste, not eliminate business travel altogether. (more…)

One of the huge advantages to using corporate housing is the presence of a fully equipped kitchen. This can be a life-saver for your expense account, as you can cook your own meals at home instead of eating out. (more…)

In the article “Impact of High Oil Prices and Economic Downturn on Business Travel,” the NBTA, or National Business Travel Association, notes that managers are making the following new habits in company policy:

1. Refueling a car before returning it to the rental facility.
2. Sharing ground transportation costs with other employees.
3. Moving to smaller, less expensive car rentals.
4. Renting more fuel efficient cars (non-hybrids).
5. Using more public transportation when traveling.
(more…)