Perhaps you travel for work and seem to spend all your time staring at the same (or very similar) four hotel room walls every time. Or maybe you’re planning a holiday, but the thought of cramming the entire family into a hotel room just doesn’t sound as much fun as you think it should. If either of these scenarios sounds familiar, it’s time to consider your alternatives.
Serviced apartments offer more options, more space, and more benefits than your standard hotel room, and they’re the perfect solution for the weary traveler who wants a more comfortable and enjoyable experience.
Today we will talk about what a serviced apartment is, how it’s different from a hotel, and how it can completely change the way you spend your time when you’re travelling or holidaying.
What is a Serviced Apartment?
A serviced apartment is an apartment that is used for short or long-term stays. These apartments are fully furnished, typically with all the latest technology and tools you’d have in your own home, and they can be rented out for days, weeks, or longer to those who are travelling for business or on holiday.
It might be tempting to compare Bondi Beach hotels with serviced apartments, but they’re a completely different kettle of fish. Hotels are typically one room and a bathroom, but serviced apartments are more like your home away from home. They have everything you could need, including a fully furnished kitchen for preparing meals, convenient laundry facilities, and more.
Benefits of Serviced Apartment Over Hotels
Bondi serviced apartments have several advantages over hotels in Bondi Beach. Cost savings, a more personalised experience, and the ability to immerse yourself in your local culture make serviced apartments an attractive option for travelers.
Serviced Apartments Save You Money
Hotels can be great if you’re only staying somewhere for a night or two, but any longer than that, and your stay can get expensive quickly. Besides the accommodation cost itself, you’ll have to pay for meals out since most hotels don’t have cooking facilities in-room.
If you’re looking for longer-term accommodation, whether it’s a week or a month, a serviced apartment becomes a less expensive option. Being able to cook your meals in the apartment can save you a great deal of money and allow you to meet any special dietary needs you may have.
Serviced Apartments Are More Like Home
Being able to do your own laundry when you like, watch television while piled up on the sofa, and enjoy the privacy of apartment living make serviced apartments more like a home away from home. Unlike hotel rooms, which can feel confining and restrictive, serviced apartments are spacious and comfortable.
Travelling can be stressful, and hotel rooms aren’t the most relaxing of environments. But serviced apartments give you the space and freedom to relax and enjoy your stay the way you want to. Most serviced apartments also have housekeeping services just like hotels do, and some offer 24-hour customer support, so if you have a problem at any time, you can get assistance.
Serviced Apartments and Cultural Immersion
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to live in a new area, you might have visited that area to see what it’s like there. Maybe you even booked a hotel room there, just to get a better idea of what it would be like to live there. However, hotels don’t give you the same immersive experience that staying in an apartment does.
Serviced apartments are just like regular apartments, but with the added benefit of being able to leave after a shorter stay. Staying in a local apartment means you’ll be closer to local attractions, and you can visit local supermarkets for a better feel of what the neighbourhood is like.
Serviced Apartments Are Great for Families and Groups
Families and groups especially benefit from serviced apartments because of the added space. If you have children who need their own room or who have special dietary or sensory needs, a serviced apartment can offer the flexibility that hotels can’t.
With multiple bedrooms, a fully functioning kitchen, and the ability to do laundry as needed, serviced apartments are a practical, comfortable option for any group of people or families on holiday. Plus, they are more economical than hotel rooms for groups or families, making them an attractive choice for holiday accommodations.
How Do Serviced Apartments Work?
A serviced apartment works like a self-contained home you book by the night, week or month. You reserve it much as you would a hotel room, but instead of a single room you get a full apartment: a private kitchen, a living area, a bathroom and one or more bedrooms, all furnished and ready to use.
Check-in is usually simple. Many serviced apartments, Bondi 38 included, use keyless entry, so you get a code sent to your phone and let yourself in with no front desk queue. Once you’re in, everything works as it would at home: cook your own meals, run a load of laundry, spread out across separate rooms.
The practical differences from a hotel are space, self-catering and length of stay. Serviced apartments suit anything from a few nights to several months, and the longer you stay, the better value they tend to be, since you’re not eating every meal out.
Serviced Apartment vs Hotel, Condo and Airbnb
People mix these up, so here’s how a serviced apartment compares to the alternatives.
Versus a hotel: a hotel is typically one room with daily housekeeping and on-site services. A serviced apartment gives you a full apartment with a kitchen and laundry, more space and more independence, usually at a lower nightly cost on longer stays.
Versus a condo: in Australia “condo” is rarely used, and the closest local terms are a strata apartment or a branded residence. The real difference is service and flexibility. A condo or private apartment is usually a fixed lease with nothing included, while a serviced apartment is fully furnished, professionally managed and booked for as long or short a stay as you like.
Versus an Airbnb: the two overlap, though serviced apartments are professionally run with consistent standards, on-call support and no surprise cleaning fees. We cover this in full in our guide to serviced apartments vs Airbnb.
Serviced Apartment FAQs
Do serviced apartments offer regular housekeeping?
Yes. Most serviced apartments are professionally cleaned before you arrive and serviced periodically during longer stays, though the frequency varies by operator. At Bondi 38, apartments are serviced daily.
Are utilities included in serviced apartments?
In almost all cases, yes. Electricity, water, gas and Wi-Fi are bundled into the nightly rate, so there are no separate bills to set up or settle. That’s one of the reasons serviced apartments suit both short holidays and longer relocations.
What is a serviced apartment in Australia?
The same as anywhere else: a fully furnished, self-contained apartment you can book short or long term, with utilities and management included. In Australia you’ll also see them called serviced apartments or aparthotels, most often in city and beach spots like Bondi.
What’s the difference between a serviced apartment and a condo?
A condo, or in Australia a strata apartment, is usually owned or leased unfurnished with nothing included. A serviced apartment is furnished, managed and bookable by the night, with cleaning and utilities built in.
What’s the difference between a serviced apartment and a hotel?
A hotel gives you a single room with daily housekeeping and paid on-site extras. A serviced apartment gives you a full self-contained home: a separate living area, one or more bedrooms, and your own kitchen and laundry. You get more space and independence, and on stays beyond a couple of nights it usually costs less, since you can cook instead of eating out for every meal.
Serviced Apartments in Sydney
If you’re looking for Bondi Beach accommodation or would like to try a Sydney apartment holiday, Bondi 38 Serviced Apartments is perfect for you. Choose from studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments overlooking Bondi Beach.
Spend your holiday relaxing like a local, not cooped up in an overpriced hotel room. Our fully furnished apartments have everything you need to feel like you’re at home, and they’re minutes away from the beach, local amenities, and other great attractions.
Contact us today to book your stay in a fantastic Sydney serviced apartment.
