Frequent travellers, whether for business or leisure, are becoming more discerning about their choice of accommodation. Increasingly, they prefer a discreet place to stay and a more personalised service than that offered by the traditional large hotel chains.
Instead of the impersonal service that often comes with staying in a hotel, the answer could be a luxury serviced apartment. Incorporating the flexibility of a hotel, serviced apartments have around three times the space, yet are up to 35% less expensive than equivalent hotel rooms.
The Deep Blue offering
With its motto of ‘the living is easy’, leading serviced apartment provider Deep Blue Apartments doesn’t try to be a hotel, nor does it purport to be ‘home from home’. The company offers over 5,000 fully furnished, serviced apartments across the UK and business and leisure travellers alike can benefit from this alternative to expensive hotel accommodation. The minimum stay at Deep Blue apartments is three nights, but many business travellers stay for four to eight weeks, and some for up to a year! All apartments are non-smoking and are located in easily commutable and vibrant areas that offer plenty of amenities such as restaurants, bars, shopping, cinemas and gyms.
Forward thinking
Established in 1999 by Steve and Greta Brenman, Deep Blue continues to expand its offering with new locations (the latest being Earls Court) and services, such as a home office service, PA services and family-friendly apartments, all designed to keep its clients ultra happy. In fact, Deep Blue has recently announced the launch of a luxury extension to its brand.
Making the living even easier
In a bid to make its own brand apartments even more attractive, Deep Blue has launched Flying Butler© Apartments . The company still offers high quality, reasonably priced, exclusive apartments, but included in the price is their new ‘Flying Butler©’ service. Recognising that the experience of a real home can’t be replicated, the new Flying Butler© offer guests ‘ the next best thing to home’ . These apartments are all about boutique-style elegance and spacious living, with fully fitted kitchens and an open plan layout. Some even have private outdoor balconies or gardens.
This service, exclusive to Flying Butler© Apartments , is bespoke to each client’s own requirements. It offers guests a range of personalised concierge services, including transfers to and from any London airport or train station, personal meet and greet, additional housekeeping, a dry cleaning service and grocery deliveries.
Making guests feel extra welcome
In addition to the raft of ‘one-stop-shop’ services it already provides, the company has taken the time to create a useful and informative welcome video, prominently displayed on the website. This gives potential guests all the information they need, explaining exactly how the process works before they even arrive at their apartment.
Over the past 14 years, Deep Blue has become one of the most experienced and trusted serviced apartment providers in the UK. From the start, the company’s philosophy has been to make booking apartments easy and ensure that every guest’s stay is as comfortable as possible. Priding itself on offering a highly personalised, one-to-one service, the human connection is essential.
Deep Blue maintains its roots as a family-business and knows that the key to its success is its people and the quality of its apartments. The staff pride themselves on their friendly, knowledgeable, and above all trustworthy approach. That’s why, when clients call, they ask for them by name. Some of the staff have been with the company for over 10 years, speaking volumes about their commitment to their clients and to Deep Blue.
A growing industry
The global serviced apartment industry is growing. Established just 20 years ago, the UK is still a relatively young market within it. Yet, despite the poor economic climate, more travellers than ever are opting for the homely feel of a serviced apartment on a short or long term rental, and demand for serviced apartments has grown dramatically in the last 10 years.
A recent report – ‘The Global Service Apartments Industry Report 2013-2014’ – indicates that the global serviced apartments industry is continuing to expand significantly, albeit at different rates across the regions. In 2011, the report indicated a 34.1% rise since 2010 in available apartments across the globe and a 17.5% rise in areas where they are sited. This year has seen an increase in supply by a further 9.4%. In the UK, a survey by the Association of Serviced Apartment Providers (ASAP), published earlier this year, revealed strong levels of optimism for the industry’s growth in the UK and Ireland in 2013, with 74% of serviced apartment providers reporting that they expect their business to increase overall during 2013.
Steve Brenman, Chairman and founder of Deep Blue, says: “From the elegant design of our new Flying Butler© Apartments to the range of services we offer, we aim to make everything as easy and smooth as possible for our guests. The demand for serviced apartments is growing because of their convenience and ease, and we hope that these new apartments provide that ‘next best thing to home’ experience.”
To book your stay at one of Deep Blue’s Flying Butler© Apartments and experience their luxury service, visit website , call: 0370 770 0778 or email: enquiries@semperey.com
