When you are visiting a city, one of the most important details about planning your trip is where to book your stay. No matter if you are visiting a bustling Capital or a small, but picturesque town, choosing the right accommodation option is essential for the success of your business trip, city break or holiday. These days, it all comes down to deciding between a hotel and a short term rental apartment. Both options are very popular among modern travellers and have their share of advantages and disadvantages. Which one is more suitable for you? Well, this is something that only you can decide.
No one can deny that staying at a hotel means enjoying a more lush feeling. Here, besides the comfort of a fully furnished and spacious formal room you also benefit from excellent services and amenities such as free parking, room service, mini-bar, wake-up call, complementary products, free access to gyms, pools and spas. When you are booking an apartment on short term you don’t have these services available. Most of these accommodation options are very spacious apartments that were recently refurbished and decorated as to impress their customers with modern furniture, high end appliances and superior quality amenities. Not only a rented apartment will be more comfortable and cozy than a formal hotel room, but it will also be more private and intimate.
Of course, some hotels offer better rooms and services than others. The prestige and number of stars owned by the accommodation unit is what influences the price, the quality of the room and invariably the excellence of the services. The star rating and the reputation are very useful criteria when it comes to comparing prices and choosing the most appropriate hotel. The disadvantage of short term rental apartments is that they don’t use any internationally standardized rating system to assess the quality of the units. You need to make your decision based on the pictures, description and price provided by the owner, and sometimes by the few customer reviews available online.
Luxury comes with a cost. This goes both for hotels and rental apartments, but unquestionably the first option is pricier than the second one. Generally, all decent 3 stars hotels from any part of the world offer their rooms for $50-$150 per night depending on their location, number of stars and reputation. Renting an apartment for a couple of days or weeks is far more affordable. Usually, a two-room apartment downtown doesn’t cost more than $30-$60 per night no matter how luxurious it may be.
Another important advantage of booking an apartment is that these are usually positioned near the transportation network and you won’t have to depend on a rented car on your trip. You can simply use public transportation to get to your destination. This will also allow you to know the surroundings better and interact with the locals. Also, if a subway is available in the city do not hesitate to use it as it will help you avoid traffic. The problem with hotels is that these are not always positioned near the main transportation points and if you need to stay in a particular area of the city it will be more difficult to find a good hotel at a decent price.
Planning the perfect trip begins with finding the appropriate accommodation option for you. Every traveler and every trip are unique and while in some situations a hotel is the most recommended option, in others a short term rental apartment will be more suitable for your budget and expectations.
