European aparthotel operator Staycity has announced its corporate business is now back to pre-pandemic levels, with like-for-like occupancies for Tuesday and Wednesday nights back to 2019 levels in the year to date. In June 2023 Tuesday and Wednesday room nights are showing a 10% increase on June 2019.
In addition the group’s managed business segment has seen a like-for-like rise of 93% on room nights (YTD). Staycity attributes much of this growth to investment in its commercial sales team, with the creation of additional roles and departments as well as targeting new areas of business.
“It’s fantastic to see our business travellers return, albeit with different needs and booking patterns,” commented Staycity chief commercial officer Paula Mullaney. “For example, our corporate guests are no longer willing to share apartments. They are also looking for separate work desks to dining tables to support working from the apartment. The length of stay has increased by 35% from 2.3 days to 3.1 days on average, suggesting that when they are travelling, they are fitting more in. The booking window has also changed with business travellers’ booking in the 8-14 day window increasing by 86% versus 2019.”
Business demand and feedback has prompted Staycity to introduce a new room type – a large studio at 24sqm, which in time will become 40% of the company’s property inventory, appealing to corporate guests with more storage space and a dedicated area to work in alongside a fully-fitted kitchen.
Online check-in was introduced last year as a more convenient way for business guests to pay and check in ahead of arrival, meaning they only have to pick up keys. Staycity’s properties have the option of check-in via a QR code and then collecting the key on arrival while automatic invoice delivery on checkout will soon be available.
Staycity currently operates 6,000 keys across its Staycity Aparthotel and Wilde brands with a total of 32 properties. The company is expected to reach a turnover in 2023 of €230m, up from €202m in 2022. The group has properties in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and the UK and has new developments opening over the next 18 months in The Netherlands (Amsterdam) and Portugal (Lisbon and Porto), all of which are designed to appeal to both business and leisure visitors.
