Extended-stay lodgings offer all the comforts of home

How many hotels do you know where every member of staff, from chambermaids to the general manager, has their own business card? Likely not too many, but that's the way it is at Dodge Suites Hotel in Woodbridge, Ontario.

"In extended-stay hotels like ours, the guests and staff inevitably see much more of each other, so it just makes sense," says Diana Dodge, the hotel's director of operations.

Seven years ago, the Dodge family switched their all-suite hotel to the extended-stay concept, on the recommendation of a consultant with Residence Inn by Marriott (a leader in quality extended-stay lodgings in North America). Now, their 189-suite Woodbridge hotel has an enviable occupancy of close to 90 per cent, two-thirds of which are extended-stay guests. Around half stay from five to 29 nights, and the rest over 30 nights.

Extended-stay business guests may be travelling on a temporary assignment such as conducting an audit or implementing new software programs, attending a training course, or relocating to a new city. The line between extended-stay hotels and all-suite hotels tends to get blurred, but extended-stays focus on long-term guests. Generally, the longer the stay, the lower the nightly price.

BridgeStreet Accommodations Canada leases one-, two- and three-bedroom units for extended stays in residential properties such as condominiums, apartments and townhouses. Their high-end corporate clientele are frequently on consulting assignments where a typical stay is a month or two. "And we offer service that equals the Four Seasons," says president Thomas Vincent.

BridgeStreet has more than 200,000 spacious, fully furnished and fully equipped units in over 40 countries, where housekeeping and telephone requirements are tailored to individual needs. The cost advantages of an extended-stay property like BridgeStreet are considerable. Besides the nightly rate being less than at a comparable hotel, the savings on telephone bills, laundry and meals add up fast. In addition, according to Vincent, his clients see a productivity bonus. "Most people can fit in two to five hours more of work per week when they stay in an apartment rather than a hotel room."

Residence Inns were the pioneer of extended-stays in the United States. Acquired by Marriott in 1987, the organization has grown from 96 properties to more than 300. There are currently six in Canada — four downtown properties in Montreal, Ottawa, London, Vancouver, and two in resorts at Whistler and Mont-Tremblant. A third, also resort-oriented, is being built in Kimberley, B.C.

Simon Cooper, president of Marriott Lodging Canada, says that the Canadian and U.S. markets are quite different. From his experience, American business travellers generally travel for more extensive periods. The Canadian business traveller at a Residence Inn in Canada stays for five nights or more, which is typical for extended-stay hotels, whereas Americans generally stay longer — as do people staying in the more residential units offered by BridgeStreet and Dodge Suites Hotel.

Rates at Residence Inn by Marriott are charged on a nightly basis, while those at both BridgeStreet and Dodge Suites Hotel depend more on length of stay, as well as size of unit.

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