‘We try and get very inspirational designers to give you an experience in your room that’s a bit edgier’
It’s fair to say that until recently the words ‘serviced apartment’ would not have been enticing ones. At best, most serviced apartments are forgettable: anonymous in design, with no connection to the local area and inoffensive in fixtures and fittings. The thought of weeks spent in such accommodation isn’t the sort of treat some would associate with business travel. Then there is that hybrid of apartments and hotels called, rather unimaginatively, aparthotels. It’s an ugly neologism, rather like bleisure, but at least then there’s the chance of some time off for good behaviour.
Still, there are some brands hoping to change the reality – and our perception – of serviced apartments. “It’s a nascent sector still and it’s been very corporate in the past,” says Stephen McCall, chief executive of
