Returning to London Year After Year

The client

For many years, a couple from the United States have returned to London for extended leisure stays.

Unlike many first-time visitors who ask us to recommend different locations and properties, they already know exactly where they like to stay: a serviced apartment property in Chelsea that has become their regular London base.

They also know the type of apartment they prefer — a larger, refurbished studio — and over the years we have built up a detailed understanding of the accommodation and individual preferences that help make their visits enjoyable.

Yet despite knowing the property extremely well and being able to approach it directly, they continue to arrange their stays through London Serviced Apartments.

For us, that is what makes their story particularly interesting.

The challenge

There isn't always a complicated accommodation problem to solve.

Sometimes the challenge is simply making sure that a returning guest gets as close as possible to the experience they already know and enjoy.

Within a large serviced apartment property, apartments within the same general category can differ. A returning guest may have particularly liked a refurbished apartment, its position within the building, its outlook or other individual features.

Our clients therefore don't simply tell us:

Knowing what our clients like

Over successive visits, we have built up an understanding of their preferences.

When arranging a new stay, our team can communicate those preferences directly to the property, request the most appropriate apartment type and highlight particular requirements that have made previous stays successful.

Although individual apartment allocations can never be guaranteed unless confirmed by the property, having someone who understands the client's history means those preferences don't have to be explained from the beginning every year.

On one recent visit, for example, we had specifically passed on their preference for a particular position within the building and a good outlook.

After arriving, the client contacted us to say they had been allocated a wonderful apartment with views across the London skyline and felt our communication with the property had helped.

For our team, receiving an email like that is one of the nicest parts of looking after a returning client.

More than making a reservation

Our involvement doesn't end when an apartment has been booked.

Over the years, we have helped with changes to dates, discussed alternative accommodation when appropriate, liaised with the property about apartment standards and preferences, helped with payment and booking arrangements and remained available before and during their stays.

When the Covid pandemic disrupted one of their planned visits to London, we stayed in contact as circumstances changed and helped with the cancellation of their accommodation.

When they were subsequently able to return to London, the relationship simply continued.

Similarly, when personal circumstances created uncertainty around another planned trip, we remained in touch and helped keep their accommodation arrangements under review until their plans became clearer.

It is this continuity that turns a series of individual reservations into a long-term client relationship.

A relationship built over many years

After so many visits, our relationship with these clients is naturally different from that of someone making their first booking with us.

They know our team, and we know them.

In recognition of their loyalty and our long-standing relationship, we now also provide a complimentary arrival benefit arranged specifically for them — a discretionary gesture created for this relationship rather than part of our standard service.

It is our way of saying thank you for continuing to place their trust in us year after year.

Why not simply book direct?

This is perhaps the most interesting part of the story.

The clients know the property. They have stayed there many times. They could approach it themselves.

But booking accommodation isn't necessarily only about obtaining access to a room or apartment.

For a returning client, there can also be value in having someone who already understands:

• where they like to stay;
• the apartment type and standard they prefer;
• what has worked particularly well on previous visits;
• the requests that should be passed to the property;
• their booking history; and
• who to speak to if plans change or assistance is required.

It means that instead of starting again with every visit, the next booking becomes a continuation of the previous one.

The result

What began as an accommodation booking has developed into a relationship spanning many years and repeated visits to London.

The clients continue to stay at their preferred Chelsea property and continue to book through London Serviced Apartments.

For us, their story demonstrates something important about the service we provide.

Sometimes the greatest value of a travel relationship is not finding somewhere new. It is knowing that when you return to somewhere you already love, there is a team that remembers how you like to stay.