Serviced apartments are the solution converging from an array of issues that the lockdown posed.
The hospitality and travel industries were one amongst many to be hit hard during the pandemic. With flights being cancelled, many business travellers found themselves stranded in their serviced accommodation for longer than they expected but found it to be safer than the alternative.
How were the SA affected?
Occupancy levels of Serviced Apartments in UK reduced in the first quarter of 2020 by 21.5% in comparison to the same period in 2019.
During this time, a lot of short-stay customers canceled their bookings but those booked for longer stays waited their way through the first lockdown and vacated them when it was briefly lifted.
The staff was reduced to a skeletal crew due to decreased bookings and those let go were furloughed later as the scheme was introduced by the UK government.
Social Distancing Protocols
With very few staff members and low occupancy rates, social distancing was a manageable task. The government has mandated hand sanitisers on every entrance for customers to use.
Occupants living in serviced apartments have the freedom to prepare their meals and groceries can be ordered and paid for contactless.
Should the occupants wish for meal prepared outside, the delivery person is required to sanitise themselves and leave the food outside the room for the occupant to pick it up themselves contactless.
With the availability of services such as Wi-Fi, broadband, TVs, washing machines in their rooms, occupants can continue to be productive and maintain their work without any obstacles or threat to safety and/or health.
Cleaning services carry on as usual but the crew is to follow safety protocols in accordance to the government mandate.
What does the future hold for SA post-covid?
Relatively more autonomy that comes with living in SA is why they have outperformed hotels during the pandemic. This trend is expected to continue even after the lockdown is lifted.
Serviced apartments in UK make for a safer and healthier option to self-isolate without shelling out an obscene amount of money for the same space that a hotel offers.
Companies have increasingly preferred SA as accommodations for their employees as they are affordable, abundantly available and, easily found near the workplace.
