The corporate housing sector was waiting for a sweet moment like the one we have been living in recent months. The world is reactivating, and with it, the demand for temporary corporate accommodation is reaching 2019 levels.
In recent months, optimism has become widespread in the sector, highlighting companies´interest in resuming projects abroad. In fact, according to the Cvent report, 75% of the European travel managers surveyed estimate that this year corporate travel levels can exceed the metrics of the year prior to the pandemic, compared to 32% who consider that they will simply increase slightly.
The relaxation of anti-COVID measures in almost all the countries of the European Union has motivated companies to schedule new business trips, increasing their need for long and medium stay accommodation.
Business travelers have seen COVID as an opportunity to work in other destinations. The survey conducted this year by SAP Concur, showed that 96% of the 3,850 global employees participants desire to undertake corporate trips, and 80% fear for the quality of their professional careers if they do not resume their business trips.
Corporate housing; the number one choice for long stays during the recovery period
The demand for corporate accommodation for medium and long stays has evolved favorably in recent months. Since 2019, more than 30% of European business travelers prefer long stays in corporate houses rather than short monthly stays.
The comfort space and amenities included in a serviced apartment are what makes this kind of property highly valued by business travelers. A kitchen with all the basic appliances, space for telecommuting, and a stable Wi-Fi connection are essential equipment that no hotel can offer. Even better, to guarantee the comfort of employees, companies often request some services from hotels, such as a cleaning service with replacement of sheets and towels.
As we have seen, more and more companies and agencies are interested in everything that a corporate apartment offers. In fact, at Apartool we have seen our accommodation requests grow by more than 55% compared to the first quarter of the year.
Among all the projects we have had, we managed to accommodate 71 employees in Malaga who worked for a technology multinational, one of our biggest challenges that year.