A few weeks ago a secretary telephoned me in absolute desperation. She was desperately searching for accommodation in central London for some VIPs from abroad. She stumbled onto my website, not really understanding what the service was about. I think the words ‘free service’, ‘apartments’ just helped her to figure out that Quality London Apartments had something to do with accommodation. Apologies for my long opening, but it is a prime example of how little travellers in the UK and Europe know about the serviced apartment industry. After explaining the concept of serviced apartments and helping her find an apartment, I realised that I needed to share this knowledge further afield. Thus, this article is my contribution to open up this elusive industry and offer tips to travellers.

What is a serviced apartment? A serviced apartment is a flat in a block, which has a separate bedroom, sitting room/lounge, fully equipped kitchen, your own private keys to own door. Serviced apartments can be in the form of a studio flat (all in one room with a kitchenette), one, two or three bedrooms. Guests only pay for a nightly rate and can live in a flat with everything they would have in their own home. What to look out for when booking a serviced London apartment? 1. Quality of the apartment – make sure you find out if they are clean, well furnished and well maintained.

Check the photos, and ask if you can book an appointment to view the apartment. This is very important if you are staying over a long period of time. 2. Do they have a friendly and efficient management team? If you need the comfort of a welcoming face to greet you on arrival, then ask for an apartment with a reception. Some apartments provide key boxes, so you can arrive any time, but there is no-one to meet you. A friendly and small team will be able to give you a very personal touch. 3. Opening time of the apartments office – doesn’t sound important?

4. Key delivery by car at the airport? If you are flying from abroad to London, and do not fancy traipsing throughout London at night to pick up keys, the majority of apartments will hire a taxi to deliver your keys to the airport upon your arrival. Convenient for a small charge. 5. Payment procedure and cancellation policy – every apartment vary in their guest terms and conditions. All will accept a credit card as a guarantee of reservation, some will ask for 100% pre-payment at least 7 days prior to arrival and cancellation can range from 12:00pm on the day of arrival to 28 days.

So, before you confirm the reservation, be very clear about the terms and conditions. Ask your apartment agents to explain the procedure to you and read the terms and conditions on your confirmation emails. It will save you a great deal of trouble and headache later. 6. Apartments are always allocated on arrival. This policy is the same as any hotel, so unless you are a regular guest to a specific apartment, apartments are on allocations. In the same breath, some apartments only have a small number of flats, so if you are reserving the only 3 bedrooms penthouse in their collection, then you are guaranteed that specific apartment. 7. Rates become more competitive the longer you stay.

In this, we mean you have more bargaining power if you are staying for one month or longer. This is when your apartment agent can really help you by negotiating with a variety of apartments to get you the best deal. 8. Using an apartment agent will also save you time searching, but most importantly they will work with your budget and negotiate a great deal for you. Of course, you also need to be realistic about what you can book, don’t expect to spend £80 per night for a luxury apartment. For example, one of our clients had £300 budget per night for a two bedroom apartment and he wanted something luxury. For those readers who know London well, also understands that this budget is actually very small.

Despite that, we booked him and 3 friends into the Victoria Park Plaza luxury apartment (£150 per night less than the usual price) for £300 per night with free breakfast, gym and access to the executive lounge. Any apartment agent worth their salt can and will move mountains to help you. What if I don’t like the apartment when I get there? If you really feel that you have been hard done by, tell the apartment management team and ask to be moved to another apartment. All of the apartments that we work with are very customer focussed and try to help guests enjoy their stay.

If this does not work, talk to your apartment agent, if that is how you booked. Best advice though, is to ask all the right questions before you book an apartment. Your appetite for apartments is now whetted – how do you find London apartments? 1. As already explained, you can choose a free search and book service of an apartment agent or go direct to a specific apartment that you know. Both methods are absolutely fine, dependent of your knowledge of London apartments. 10-15 minutes. Agents are impartial and will only (good agents anyway) recommend the quality apartments for your needs. 2. You can use search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN to find apartments. Type in keywords like ‘London serviced apartments’ or ‘quality London apartments’ and so on. 3. Stating the obvious but, ask for a recommendation from friends and acquaintances. If you have read this far, then thank you for your time. I have tried to make this article clear and as helpful as possible, but I welcome your comments and any further information that you feel is very important.

A curated resource for journalists & consumers on the latest data and insights behind Airbnb’s rapid growth. Note: statistics on entire vacation rental industry found here. Airbnb has over 150 million users worldwide. There have been over half a billion Airbnb stays all-time. There are over 650,000 hosts worldwide. There are over 6 million Airbnb listings worldwide. Over 1.9 million listings are instantly bookable. Airbnb offers listings in over 191 countries. 65,000 cities list homes with Airbnb. Airbnb averages about 500,000 stays per night. On any given night, 2 million people are staying in Airbnb rentals across the world. 23.5 million on advertisement in the U.S. 80. – Only 11% of the nearly 500,000 US listings are reserved on a typical night.

In the rare event of accidental damage, the property of every Airbnb host is covered up to a million dollars. 54% of Airbnb guests are female. 46% of Airbnb guests are male. Airbnb’s target demographic is usually travelers looking for a spacious and comfortable place to stay that is also affordable and functional. Target guests vary from host to host and space to space. 700,000 companies use Airbnb for work. The projected number of Airbnb users in Europe by 2020 is 24 million. Users spend an average of 11 minutes and 31 seconds on the Airbnb app. 50% of the traffic Airbnb receives is through mobile devices.

There is a review rate of 50% which is used to convert reviews to estimated bookings. There are about 650,000 hosts on Airbnb. Airbnb has an average of 3 listings per host. 90% of Airbnb guests have said they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied. The fastest-growing Airbnb host demographic is seniors, with over 200,000 senior hosts and over 120,000 senior women hosts. Senior women are also consistently rated as the best hosts on Airbnb. 88% of Airbnb’s reservations are for groups of two to four people and 60% of the reservations were for an entire home/apartment. 7% of the reservations were for single guests and only 11% of the reservations were for one-night stays. 20,619 is the average expected annual profit of Airbnb hosts renting out a full two-bedroom apartment or house in major cities. Millennials account for roughly 60% of all guests who have ever booked on Airbnb.

Taxes affects all Americans, including the over 600,000 who earn extra money renting out their homes, condos, apartments, and rooms to short-term guests through Airbnb, FlipKey, HomeAway, TripAdvisor, Craigslist, VRBO, and other online platforms. In 2017, vacation rental hosts were given a new tax deduction: the “pass-through deduction” that allows many short-term hosts to deduct, from their income taxes, up to 20% of their short-term rental income. 690 for average New York visitors). 529.10) more over the course of their trip, compared to hotel guests. In Berlin, Airbnb guests spend more time and money in Berlin than hotel guests. 713 for the average visitor). Airbnb guests stay 2.4 times longer and spend 2.3 times more money compared to typical tourists. They also stay in more diverse neighborhoods throughout the city, and 45% of their spending occurs in the neighborhood where they stay.

The top city for active Airbnb listings is London. The most popular international city on Airbnb is Vancouver and the most popular U.S. San Francisco, CA. About 4.5 million people used Airbnb to stay in Florida over 2018. Approximately 954,000 people visiting Miami-Dade County used Airbnb, making it the app’s hottest spot in Florida. The Los Angeles study indicated that, in 2014, almost half of Airbnb listings were clustered in seven neighborhoods, where rents increased 1/3x more quickly than the city average. The wider U.S. study suggested that a 10% increase in Airbnb listings led to a 0.42% increase in rent prices and a 0.76% increase in house prices.

Amsterdam — Entire home rentals are limited to 60 days a year. Barcelona — Short-term rentals must be licensed but no new licenses are being issued. Berlin — Landlords need a permit to rent 50% or more of their main residence for a short period. London — Short-term rentals for whole homes limited to 90 days a year. Palma — Mayor has announced a ban on short-term flat rentals. New York City — Usually illegal for apartments to be rented for 30 consecutive days or fewer, unless the host is present. Paris — Short-term rentals are limited to 120 days a year.

San Francisco — Hosts must obtain business registration and short-term rental certificates. Entire property rentals limited to 90 days a year. Singapore — There is a minimum rental period of six consecutive months for public housing. The top 10 destinations for inbound guests are the United States, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia, Germany, and Portugal. The top 10 destinations of outbound guests are the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Canada, China, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands. Many non-traditional homes are on the rise. Listings for nature lodges and ryokans (traditional Japanese inns) have been growing quickly recently. Most travelers are gravitating to rustic and unique destinations. There are over 1,400 tree houses and nearly 3,000 castles listed on the site. According to Airbnb, the following cities are expected to be the most popular destinations this year, based on an increase in booking percentages.

The United States is seeing significant growth in Midwestern cities like Indianapolis, IN (256%) and Columbus, OH (254%). The places attracting the most travelers offer wide ranges of nature lodging and close proximity to national parks. North America has been attracting a growing number of guests to destinations within driving distance of the Canadian Rockies. Cities like the trendy Edmonton (284%), and mountain towns like Fernie (179%) and Kelowna (170%) are quaint and alluring, especially for nature-lovers. South America is a magnet for travelers looking for oceanside towns with stunning views, not to mention warm and sunny weather too. In addition, China, one of Airbnb’s fastest-growing markets, and cities Co-hosts near me Shanghai, which has seen 100% domestic listing growth over the past year, are attracting lots of travelers this year.

Suzhou and Hangzhou both offer beautiful old canals and pagodas, with temples, gardens and arched bridges. Xi’an, one of the oldest cities in China, is home to famed archaeological sites such as the Bingmayong (or Terra Cotta Army) and spicy food worth the trip. Average rates for an entire home on Airbnb is the same or lower for the cost of a single hotel room. 160.47. Studies show that over 50% of Airbnb users in 2016 gladly used Airbnb to replace a traditional hotel stay. In Europe, Airbnb is anywhere from 8% to 17% cheaper than a regional hotel’s average daily rate, while in the top 25 markets in the U.S., Airbnb is 6% to 17% cheaper than hotels in those markets. Studies project that by 2018, overall lodging occupancy in the U.S.

Europe will fall to 66.8% from 67.6% in 2016. And because the hotel industry saw its second-lowest level of nightly rate growth in 2016 in 20 years, Airbnb will likely take over hotels’ revenues. The occupancy rate for Airbnb was capped at 70%, which is relatively high, but reasonable, for short-term rental properties. 450 million in direct revenues per year to Airbnb. Between September 2014 and August 2015, 480,000 hotel room nights were reserved while over 2.8 million room nights were booked on Airbnb. Airbnb had nearly 80 million stays in 2016; 3% to 7% of stays go awry. 20.5% of issues are caused by hosts canceling guests’ bookings (i.e. The host canceling a day before check-in, the host never showing up, Airbnb not helping, or the listing is a scam).

15.4% of issues are caused by scams (i.e. The host demands extra money, host falsifies damages, or fake emails and websites are used). 13.45% of issues are caused by unsafe or unpleasant conditions (i.e. Bug infestations, broken appliances, hostile/intimidating hosts, or hidden cameras placed in the unit). 12.2% of issues are caused by the unit not being as described (i.e. Photos do not match up to reality, location is different, missing amenities, or the unit is dirty/messy). 3.8% of issues are caused by fake listings or fake reviews (i.e. Duplicate or fake listings, modified or censored reviews, fake listing photos and/or address). 1.1% of issues are caused by discrimination. 82% of people who had a problem with their Airbnb stay mentioned customer service as a problem.

57% of those who mentioned poor customer service also said that it was their primary complaint. How many hosts does Airbnb have worldwide? Airbnb has about 650,000 hosts across the globe. Currently, the fastest-growing Airbnb host demographic is seniors, with over 200,00 senior hosts on the site. Over 120,000 of these hosts are senior women. Senior women also tend to be the most highly-rated host group. 20,619 for a full two-bedroom apartment or house in major cities. How many users does Airbnb have? Airbnb has over 150 million users. 54% of Airbnb guests are female 46% of Airbnb guests are male.

The target market for Airbnb users usually involves travelers looking for a spacious and comfortable place to stay that is also affordable and functional. However, target guests vary from host to host and space to space. Since 2008, there have been over 400 million guest arrivals at Airbnb listings. 50% of the traffic that Airbnb receives online comes from mobile devices. Users spend an average of 11 minutes and 31 seconds on the app. Who are Airbnb customers? 60% of Airbnb guests are millennial. Airbnb’s target demographic is usually people traveling who are looking for spacious, comfortable accommodations that are also affordable and functional. 90% of all Airbnb guests have said they were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their stay and Airbnb’s popularity is beginning to outshine its hotel competitors. Airbnb guests are typically looking for a place to stay that offers features a hotel can’t.

How many listings does Airbnb have? There are over 4 million Airbnbs worldwide. 1.9 million of those listings are instantly bookable. People can book Airbnbs in over 191 different countries. Homes are listed in over 65,000 cities all over the world. On average, Airbnb sees about 500,000 stays per night. In total, since 2008, Airbnb listings have had over 400 million guest arrivals and the number continues to grow at a rapid rate. How safe is Airbnb guests? With the millions of Airbnb stays that occur each year, only about 3% to 7% of stays go awry. Airbnb listings are generally very safe, and with a 50% review rate, you can be sure to have adequate information about the listing before your stay.

About 13.45% of Airbnb guest issues are caused by unsafe or unpleasant conditions, such as bug infestations, broken appliances, hostile/intimidating hosts, or hidden cameras in the unit. 12.2% of issues were caused by a misleading listing. These people showed up to the Airbnb and found it was not what was described on the listing. Other issues are caused by cancellations, scams, or fake listings. Most Airbnb guests tend to be satisfied with their stays, however, it’s worth noting that hosts do not receive background checks and virtually anyone can make a listing. This is why it’s important to do your research and read reviews carefully. How popular is Airbnb? Airbnb is widely popular and has been growing quickly for over a decade. Asher & Lyric, “Is Airbnb Safe? Jumpshot, “Who Uses Airbnb and Why? SmartAsset, “Where Do Airbnb Hosts Make the Most Money? Related: see our Best Smart Locks for Airbnb article if you’re looking at launching an Airbnb property. We’re committed to democratizing information about how property management companies work, how to find one that fits your needs, and what to expect from one in your market. We did the research so you don’t have to.

• 29/06/2019
• un messaggio di: Amore
• Da: terrilanders93