Category: Ask Apartment Business

  • 4 Ways Roomspace Uses Technology to Enhance Guest Experience in Our Serviced Apartments

    4 Ways Roomspace Uses Technology to Enhance Guest Experience in Our Serviced Apartments

    4 Ways Roomspace Uses Technology to Enhance Guest Experience in Our Serviced Apartments

    November 7, 2022

    A lot has changed since Roomspace was established in 1995. In this post we look at the cutting-edge technology which has made us a leading operator in the serviced accommodation sector with more than 100,000 satisfied guests.

    1. Checking in with our guests regularly

    Our all-in-one property management system, res:harmonics, delivers the essential tools for high performance operations and excellent customer service. The platform enables automated email distribution sent from Roomspace to our clients. Automation is great for user experience, allowing us to send various emails to each guest, according to the stage they’re at in their stay.

    At Roomspace, we send an email to the guest at the time of booking, followed by contact through email and phone interactions before their stay. We also send post-stay emails personalised with the guest’s name, reminding guests that we value each one of them.

    “Working with Roomspace is a real pleasure. A pioneer in the serviced apartment world, Roomspace always delivers exceptional guest experience. res:harmonics software is specifically designed to help them take guest experience to the next level.”

    2. Offering exclusive promo codes for new and returning customers

    Promo codes are a great way to give something back to our guests and bring in new clients. They provide incentives to engage with our services, whilst encouraging return customers to remain loyal to the brand.

    With res:harmonics PMS, we create exclusive promotional codes and easily apply them at the time of booking via our website. To check out our latest promotions, please visit our specials page here.

    3. A personal touch to your stay

    Our Customer Relationship Management system enables us to better manage customer interactions by keeping guest communications centralised across the company. Gone are the days of having to trawl through different mailboxes and systems to piece together issues and solve customers’ concerns.

    A modern CRM allows us to better manage guest interactions, provide support and maintain reliable systems and processes.

    4. Simplifying the booking process through efficient website integration

    The Roomspace website is constantly developed by website4bookings, a digital marketing portal which helps accommodation specialists with their online presence. By integrating res:harmonics software as the backbone structure for our website, website4bookings has created a bespoke website design that suits Roomspace’s brand and provides a smooth guest experience.

    The Property Management System is integrated to automatically populate information entered into the system and feed to our website and sales channels, such as Airbnb and Booking.com. Similarly, our website quotation portal automatically updates information from res:harmonics PMS regarding availability, special offers and amenities for each of our properties.

    This allows us to provide up-to-date information about our apartments to our customers, so that they are better informed when making a booking through our website.

    The cathedral regularly hosts local art exhibitions, cinema viewings and family events, for a wonderful summer evening in Guildford!

    4. G Live

    G Live is the main entertainment hall in Guildford, only a 10-minute walk from the town centre. The venue often hosts events such as live concerts and dance sessions, as well as theatre and comedy performances from local and national artists.

    Whether you want to unwind watching Casablanca or dance along to your favourite 90s Hits, G Live is the place to be!

    5. Stoke Park

    Stoke Park is Guilford’s largest park, with 52 hectares of land!

    With panoramic views of Guildford, a recently restored Japanese garden and even a paddling pool for those hot summer days!

    This wonderfully natural park is also a Green Flag award winner, offering high standards of service and a variety of events for children and adults alike. From a wide skate park range to daily mini-golf sessions between £4.75 (adults) and £13.45 (families), Stoke Park is perfect for families, couples and even business travellers looking for a day to unwind in nature.

    There are two kiosks in Stoke Park offering food and ice creams – and a direct view of the model boating pond!

    All venues described above are within 30 minutes (either by foot or by bus) from Roomspace’s Abbot’s Yard and Westnye House serviced apartments.

  • Five Things to do in Bracknell When you Stay in a Serviced Apartment

    Five Things to do in Bracknell When you Stay in a Serviced Apartment

    Five Things to do in Bracknell When you Stay in a Serviced Apartment

    November 7, 2022

    When you’re staying in one of Roomspace’s serviced apartments, there are always plenty of things to do nearby – and our accommodation in Bracknell is no exception! Whether you’re staying on your own for business, travelling with your family or organising a team event, Roomspace has you covered with these top five activities.

    1. The Lookout Discovery Centre

    If you’re visiting Bracknell with young family, The Lookout is not to be missed. With a great playground, a café and plenty of woodland walking trails, you’ll easily be able to pass a few hours here outdoors. Building an Eeyore den in the woods near the playground is always a popular activity!

    If the weather’s less kind, there’s plenty to do indoors as well. The fun, educational activities are organised into six zones, each containing interactive science exhibits. A family ticket for four is under £23 and there’s car parking on site.

    Sharing a carpark with The Lookout, and more suited to business or leisure travellers, is Swinley Forest. Consisting of over 2,600 acres of gentle hills, Swinley Forest boasts over 15 miles of destination mountain biking trails. Suitable for riders of all abilities, the green trails are for the more cautious rider and the red trails are for those that prefer their adventures to come with steep climbs and sheer drops. You can hire a bike, stop to buy kit or make some quick repairs to your own bike at the Bike Hub.

    The Lookout is just an eight-minute drive from our Bracknell apartments. Outdoor activities are free, apart from a small parking fee.

    2. Puzzalogical Escape Rooms

    Whether for family fun or team building, an escape room is guaranteed to have you all working together. Suitable for teams of up to six, these fully immersive rooms require you to find clues and solve puzzles to escape from a locked room. There are three standard rooms and seven VR rooms to choose from, with just one hour to secure your escape.

    For business guests, there are corporate packages and conference facilities available – if you manage to escape! Each escape room encourages better communication, group discussion, teamwork, friendly competition and skill development. As the venue is located in the city centre, you’ll be able to continue the team building over post-escape drinks or a meal nearby.

    You’ll find the escape rooms just a three-minute walk from your apartment. If you enjoy this experience, you’ll find more escape rooms near our other serviced apartments in London!

    3. Parks and Outdoor Spaces

    For those in Bracknell for business, you can’t go far wrong exploring some of the many parks and outdoor spaces that Bracknell has to offer. Perfect for winding down after work, taking a break when you’ve been working from your apartment or getting back to nature, there are plenty of green spaces nearby and, best of all, they’re all free to access.

    Lily park, a six-minute drive away, comprises 56 acres of restored heritage parkland and gardens, with a yew tree walk, traditional orchard, woodland, formal gardens, an array of wildlife, an oak sculpture, a story-telling throne and the longest picnic bench in England! Alternatively, you might like to explore Mill Park (a five-minute drive) for its lakeside walks and fishing, or Westmorland Park (a seven-minute drive) for its recreational activities.

    You can enjoy the convenience of serviced apartments in London with the open parks and green spaces you associate with Berkshire.

    4. Moss End Garden Village

    Moss End Garden Village is a garden centre with a twist. Alongside the usual garden centre offering, it also hosts local independent retailers, family activities and food and drink outlets. There’s a birds of prey centre, antiques barn, aquariums, a reptile centre and a board game café, among other attractions.

    Of course, in England the weather doesn’t always play fair and it’s sensible to have a back-up plan for when it’s wet and wild outside. Top of the Pots is a pottery painting studio within the garden centre, where you can unleash your creativity and forget about the rain lashing down outside. It’s ideal for amusing the kids for a few hours or making something for your family, to show them that you were thinking of them during your business trip.

    Moss End Garden Village is an eight-minute drive away from your accommodation in Bracknell, with on-site parking.

    5. Go Ape

    More than just a kids’ activity, Go Ape has plenty of potential for team building as well. For kids looking for adventure, there are the usual tree-top activities for all ages. For those who prefer to bond closer to the ground, there are also axe-throwing activities or forest segways available.

    Explore the forest trails on two wheels or release your inner warrior to show off your skill in hurling an axe at a target. Both activities include basic training and a safety briefing before you’re let loose with your colleagues to have fun as a team.

    Go Ape can host corporate team days and parties, so as long as the weather’s kind you’re bound to have a day to remember.

    The site is just an eight-minute drive from your Roomspace serviced apartment.

    Ready to go?

    When you’re looking for self-catering accommodation in Berkshire, it’s well worth considering Roomspace’s serviced apartments in Bracknell. Combining luxurious accommodation, a plethora of great things to do in the local area and easy access to central London, they’re the perfect option for business travellers, young families and leisure guests alike. Contact the Roomspace team today to discuss your needs.

  • Why You Should Book a Serviced Apartment for Your Next Family Holiday

    Why You Should Book a Serviced Apartment for Your Next Family Holiday

    Why You Should Book a Serviced Apartment for Your Next Family Holiday

    November 7, 2022

    Making all the arrangements for a family holiday can be daunting task. Defining your budget, arranging daytime activities that will suit everyone, considering transport to and from venues you’d like to explore… there are a lot of boxes to tick!

    Fortunately, booking a serviced apartment means that there’s less to think about. Roomspace’s serviced apartments are designed with our guests in mind – with a fully equipped kitchen, unlimited Wi-Fi and luxurious beds as standard.

    Central locations

    All of Roomspace’s apartments are central to locations of interest – both locally and in the wider area. Our London apartments are close to various museums and the Tower of London, while our Bracknell apartments offer mountain biking and an escape room venue only minutes away.

    For those interested in arts and culture, our Lisbon apartments are surrounded by tourist spots and restaurants and are within minutes of the coastline. The Madrid apartments are close to the Palacio Real and – for the football fans out there – are a 10-15 minute drive to the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, home to the Real Madrid football team!

    Knowledge of the local area

    Our team members are based around the city, so our knowledge of the local area, both as a business and as individuals, is evident when we discuss our locations with others.

    We use our knowledge to enhance our guests’ experiences, offering recommendations for restaurants and entertainment venues as well as explaining transport links to landmarks and other points of interest. We make every effort to tailor our services to you, encouraging exploration of the local area throughout your stay.

    Value for money

    Serviced apartments are 30% bigger than hotel rooms, on average. While facilities in a hotel room consist of a mini fridge, kettle, hairdryer and complimentary toiletries, Roomspace serviced apartments offer all that plus a fully equipped kitchen, unlimited WiFi and a Smart TV. This is, in part, because hotel rooms are designed for overnight and short stays, while serviced apartments can be booked for as long as necessary – with the resources to fit your needs and preferences throughout the stay.

    Accommodation experts available 24/7

    Every day is a busy day for hotel staff, catering to thousands of people every night and rarely able to help with non-urgent requests over the phone. Despite their best efforts, there are simply not enough staff to offer support for each individual demand – many of which can come at short notice.

    By comparison, serviced apartment providers offer on-hand support at every moment of the day (or night!), by introducing the Guest Services team into the mix. This team is dedicated to providing support to you during your stay, whether it’s dealing with an unexpected problem or delivering a baby cot for their infant. Guests can call Guest Services at any time and the team will always be available to answer questions or concerns.

    Pet friendly apartments

    Serviced apartments are made for everyone, including our furry friends!

    Accommodation providers will often have strict requirements surrounding pets staying in the property, always keeping guests in mind by taking noise and allergies into account. With several pet-friendly apartments in our inventory, we always do our best to provide high-quality services to both our pet-guardian guests and those checking in after their stay.

    Our high standards of cleanliness mean that our apartments are already immaculate, with weekly housekeeping available to guests as a standard. But our Operations team takes particular care with pet-friendly apartments, with a one-off charge at the time of booking designed to support additional pet cleaning after the guest’s stay. This includes a deep-clean of the apartment, from key touch points (such as door handles and kitchen tables) to furniture and carpet cleaning.

    We make every effort to ensure that no one is excluded from a great experience!

    Want to find out more?

    Whether you’re looking for a weekend getaway or a two-week family holiday, serviced apartments offer everything you need to have a great time exploring the city. Make memories passing on family recipes in our fully-equipped kitchen or catching up on your favourite TV show after a long hike in the countryside. With Roomspace serviced apartments, you can do it all!

  • Why You Should Book a Serviced Apartment For Your Next Business Trip

    Why You Should Book a Serviced Apartment For Your Next Business Trip

    Why You Should Book a Serviced Apartment For Your Next Business Trip

    November 7, 2022

    When it comes to booking business travel accommodations, you have a lot of options. But when considering location, budget and service, too many possibilities can be overwhelming.

    In this article, we have compiled our top tips to keep in mind when deciding on accommodation for your next business trip.

    1. Know what your options are…

    Hotels need little explanation; we’ve most likely all stayed in one. Hotels are designed for short-term stays, providing a room with basic amenities such as toiletries and kitchen essentials included as standard.

    Compared to hotels, longer rental flats provide their visitors a greater level of privacy. Apartment rentals are frequently the most practical choice when making reservations for stays longer than six months. But while you have more room than a hotel room, you will also be responsible for cleaning, maintenance and service bills throughout your stay.

    Serviced apartments combine the best both worlds. The apartments typically range from studio to three bedrooms and are approximately 30% larger than a hotel room. When booking a serviced apartment, you will often get a furnished apartment including amenities like weekly housekeeping, an in-house washer/dryer and a fully equipped kitchen.

    2. Why choose when you can have it all?

    A swimming pool and a bar sound great! But on a business trip, the things that make your trip easier are privacy and unlimited, high-speed WiFi. Serviced apartments also provide spacious rooms for each period of the day – separate spaces for working, sleeping and relaxing, making them an excellent choice for both short- and long-term accommodation.

    Serviced apartments are often in central locations, within minutes from various restaurants, tourist attractions and entertainment venues. Providers may also offer desks on request and recommend apartments near coworking spaces, with direct transport links to business hubs – ideal for corporate travel.

    3. Consider the corporate booking efficiencies

    You need an accommodation provider you can trust.

    Serviced apartment providers typically offer involved guest support, with a simple booking process and a quick response time. Serviced apartments allow for flexibility during your stay, with a cancellation policy and budget options that meet every guest’s needs. With a team always on-hand to help guests in the event of an unexpected delay, as well as weekly housekeeping and maintenance support, you are certain to find an apartment ideal for your next business trip.

    4. Specialists in accommodation for business travel

    Ask Apartment has been looking after our customers’ corporate accommodation needs for over 25 years.

    Our hassle-free booking process and high standards of service reflect our expertise in the field and our team’s commitment to providing only high-quality serviced apartments for your next business trip.

    Our diverse portfolio of modern, spacious apartments across London and the home counties, Madrid and Lisbon offer an alternative to hotels and rentals. Ask Apartment serviced apartments are ideal for business travel, whether you’re commuting to work or working from home.

    Work from your own space, unwind after a long day or provide a coworking space for your team – with Ask Apartment, you can do it all.