How to Find the Best Corporate Accommodation in London

There are a range of options available to business travellers looking for somewhere to stay in London – both for short term and long term stays. Here we explain the different types of corporate accommodation, how it differs from leisure accommodation, what to look for, and, importantly how to find the best corporate accommodation in London.

What is corporate accommodation?

Corporate accommodation is a very broad description for accommodation needed by business travellers. It applies to business travel accommodation which is, fundamentally, temporary. However, it is suitable for both long-term and short-term stays of a business nature (including business travel with the family accompanying).

As such, corporate accommodation is immensely diverse. It includes individual and standalone apartments and houses. But it can also include studio flats and, in some definitions, hotel rooms.

Corporate accommodation is generally a little different from leisure travel accommodation. This accommodation is designed with the business traveller in mind. This means that you’ll find it in busy business hubs, such as London. This accommodation tends to focus on functionality, comfort and daily living, rather than the travel experience. That’s not to say they can’t be luxurious, but the focus is on enabling the business traveller to live and work in a home from home environment.

Corporate accommodation has been booming as the international marketplace has boomed. Business travellers found hotel stays restrictive and out of step with what they needed from business travel accommodation. As such, corporate accommodation has grown prolifically over the last few decades particularly for central London locations.

Benefits of corporate accommodation

It’s not long ago that the business traveller had very restricted options. Those on short-term business trips were limited solely to hotels. Whether staying 3 nights or 3 months, business travellers had to shoe-horn their needs into the services of the hotel.

These short-term business travellers had to make do with one room for their entire stay. If they wanted to work in the room, they had to balance their laptop on their bed, or use the small dressing table. If Wi-Fi was available it was charged as extra. All meals had to be eaten in the hotel restaurant or paid for offsite.

Longer term business travellers, for example those on secondment or relocating, had to take their chances with the local rental market. For trips of 6 months or more, where a hotel stay was clearly unfeasible, the business traveller would have to take out a private rental agreement. They then faced the issues of furnishings in their temporary accommodation, as well as the hassle and complexities of organising all of the individual utility bills and things like council tax.

Corporate accommodation seeks to take the best elements of these two situations and eliminate the troubles of staying in either a hotel or a private rental. The premise is that the business traveller gets the perks and comfort of staying in a hotel with the practicalities and flexibility of staying in their own apartment. They get space and privacy as well as hotel-like services such as housekeeping, furnishings and utility costs being included.

There’s also another huge benefit of corporate accommodation, as it’s arisen today. That’s affordability. Long term hotel stays are prohibitively expensive. They are, after all, designed for the short term tourist traveller. The financial arrangements of private rentals are also complex. With corporate accommodation, the business traveller gets a similar standard of comfort for a lower price tag. And that’s before factoring in costs such as endless dining in expensive London restaurants or paying for laundry services. Corporate accommodation includes a kitchen, and usually laundry facilities, meaning costs are instantly reduced.

What to look for in corporate accommodation

When considering corporate accommodation, it’s important to first consider the length and nature of the stay. We would generally split requirements into two types, although there is a lot of overlap:

• Short term corporate accommodation: This type of accommodation is suited to business travellers (employees, clients, secondment staff etc.) staying in London for upwards of 3 nights, but less than 6 months. Typically, most business travellers are staying around 1-4 weeks, but it really varies.

These business travellers need somewhere they can simply ‘move into’, close to the area of work, with on-hand but unobtrusive support. With this accommodation you can expect various hotel-like services, amenities and perks.

• Long-term corporate accommodation: Long term corporate accommodation is designed for business travellers staying in London for 3 months +, sometimes up to a year. This type of accommodation suits those on secondment or who are relocating for work. This is effectively home-from-home accommodation although some hotel-like services (such as weekly housekeeping) may still be available.

With both types of accommodation, all bills should be included. All linen and towels, as well as furnishings and kitchen equipment, appliances and utensils should be included too. All should be clean and functional and offer everything that the business traveller needs. You should expect:

• Professional management: The premises should be professionally managed so that the individual staying doesn’t need to deal with landlords. This should include emergency assistance and maintenance teams, should they be needed.
• Regular cleaning and housekeeping: This will vary from property to property, but typically with corporate accommodation you would expect cleaning or housekeeping ranging from daily to weekly, according to need.
• Furnishings: All furnishings should be included, including a dining and/or office area, as well as a separate kitchen or kitchenette.

In addition, you should expect Wi-Fi, and potentially access to facilities such as reception/concierge, meeting rooms, gym/spa facilities and more.

How to find the best corporate accommodation in London

There are multiple providers of corporate accommodation in London. Unfortunately, they aren’t all created equally. You should choose a provider, such as London Serviced Apartments, which offers:

• A specialist business tailored service operated from within London itself.
• A variety of options according to budget and needs.
• Access to a wide choice of locations and accommodation types.
• High quality accommodation, regardless of budget.
• Straightforward hassle-free bookings.
• Competitive rates.

London Serviced Apartments corporate accommodation

At London Serviced Apartments we work with a range of landlords to ensure that you can find the exact property you need for your business travel. We have corporate accommodation across London, ensuring that we always have the accommodation you need, where you need it.