Save Money with Extended Stay Hotels
Weekly Rates Can Offer Discounts over Single Nights
Even cheap hotels can add up when spending a week or more exploring one city. Extended stay hotels are a great way to stretch the travel budget.
What are Extended Stay Hotels?
These are the types of properties that are primarily aimed at business travelers who have to spend a week or more in one location for work. They also tend to attract people that are relocating to the city and require a base to stay at while looking for a new home, etc.
They’re usually located near business or industrial areas and offer weekly or even monthly rates for rooms that are generally small studio-style suites. Most rooms come with a small kitchen or kitchenette area, as well as a sitting area with a couch. The properties usually also have hotel basics like a pool, fitness center and WiFi.
How Can Extended Stay Hotels Save Money?
First of all, since these properties offer weekly and monthly rates, as well as single night rates, they offer discounts for longer stays. So while a one night stay may be $60, staying a full week may drop the nightly rate by as much as $20 or more a night. Over a week, that can add up to over $100 in savings.
The kitchen/kitchenette areas can also save money since by cooking one or two meals a day, one can save over a 3-meal-a-day restaurant budget.
Finally, these rooms are usually equipped with a king or queen bed, as well as a sleeper sofa, so most can comfortably sleep four, without everyone feeling crowded within the confines of an average hotel room. Some properties also offer one and two bedroom suites, which are great for families with several kids.
The Trade-off in Using Extended Stay Hotels
While these types of hotels originated with the idea of capturing the business traveler market, many popular hotel chains are now realizing the appeal these types of properties have for the budget and general vacation traveler who wants to explore a destination over the span of several days or more. As a result, many are building new properties to be closer to popular tourist destinations within the larger cities.
However, many of these properties are still located closer to things like airports, business districts, outskirts of town, etc. As such, they may not be convenient for the traveler who either wants to be in the heart of the action (like downtown) or needs to rely on public transportation to get around because they won’t have a vehicle.
Popular Extended Stay Chains
These are some of the most popular and reliable to investigate staying at when planning a longer stay at a destination in the U.S. or Canada:
- Candlewood Suites
- Extended StayAmerica
- Homestead Studio Suites
- Homewood Suites by Hilton
- InTown Suites
- Residence Inn by Marriott
- Staybridge Suites
- StudioPlus
- Suburban Extended Stay Hotels
- TownePlace Suites by Marriott
Of course, there are plenty of independently-owned extended stay properties worldwide, but their quality can vary greatly. Make sure to research online reviews of these properties via websites like Trip Advisor.
The Bottom Line
Extended stay hotels can offer significant savings to any budget traveler willing to trade lodging discounts for the occasional inconvenience of location or lack of pricier hotel amenities like daily maid service and on-site restaurants.
But for those concerned with the bottom line dollar amount of a trip, that savings could make the difference between going and staying home, which is why they should be considered by every budget traveler.
Extended StayAmerica Orlando Exterior
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Typical Extended Stay Room
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