New partnership champions Birmingham’s long-stay accommodation options

A group of long-stay accommodation providers have formed a strategic partnership designed to boost Birmingham’s appeal to relocating national corporates and long-stay visitors.

The Birmingham Extended Stay Apartment Partnership (BESAP) consists of nine of the city’s top long-stay providers and has been created to showcase the vast array of alternative accommodation options the city has to offer.

Through marketing activity and familiarisation trips, the partnership aims to promote Birmingham as a ‘city of change’, and one capable of meeting the needs of corporates looking for somewhere that offers more than an overnight stay.

BESAP is currently represented by Staybridge Suites, Park Regis, Nitenite, Adagio, Premier Suites, Staying Cool, Staycity, The Spires and BridgeStreet, with the committee keen to bring in further suppliers.

Krishna Pastakia, sales manager at Staybridge Suites, said: “Birmingham currently has a huge requirement for extended stay accommodation both from regeneration and last-minute projects and we believe that we’re the first region in the country to set up a partnership and take it to this level.

“When people are staying somewhere for a long time, they don’t want to stay in a hotel. Serviced apartments provide a home away from home. They are significantly larger than hotel rooms, provide the ability for guests to cook for themselves, have access to their own laundry facilities, and many have access to a gym.”

The partnership is set to promote itself to some of the biggest serviced apartment agencies in the UK by inviting their representatives to Birmingham.

In serviced apartments VAT drops from 20% to 4% on the 29th night of a continuous stay. This provides organisations with a significant cost saving over the hotel alternative for extended stay.

Daniel Skermer, group sales manager at Park Regis and Nitenite, said: “There has been a surge of bookings coming into the city since the start of the year and there are some exciting projects going on; we’ve got HS2 coming to Birmingham, the city’s pitch for the Commonwealth Games, and HSBC’s relocation growing nearer.”

Liz Devaney of The Apartment Network – a leading serviced apartment agency – said: “Birmingham is a unique market; since the regeneration of the city centre over a decade ago, the number of serviced apartments has been growing and they are now far more known to both leisure and business travellers. Demand is very strong – as business in the city grows, so does the growth for serviced apartments.

“The city now attracts a high calibre of talent, and they do need temporary accommodation to get them started in the city. If we have that kind of accommodation, then we’ll attract the best of the best.

“By creating a partnership that brings together the main suppliers, BESAP is able to raise the profile of the industry and makes it very clear to potential guests and clients who the key players in the city are – and anything that promotes Birmingham is fantastic.”