staycity targets business travellers with fresh initiatives
DUBLIN, 29th JUNE 2023: 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.
About Staycity
Award-winning, Dublin-based Staycity Group is one of Europe’s leading aparthotel operators with a growing estate of nearly 6,000 apartments across 32 locations including: Berlin, Birmingham, Bordeaux, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Marseille, Paris and Venice.
Further expansion will see Staycity operate over 15,000 apartments by 2028.
Staycity was established in 2004 by CEO Tom Walsh and his brother Ger specialising in quality short- and longer-term stay aparthotels in prime European city locations for both business and leisure travellers.
Staycity operates under the Staycity Aparthotels and its premium Wilde Aparthotels brands. The self-catering aparthotels have 24-hour reception and most have a Staycafé selling drinks, snacks and breakfasts, a guest lounge, gym and guest parking.
In May 2023 Staycity Group was awarded the prestigious Best Operator Award (201+ units) in the annual Serviced Apartment Awards, while at this year’s Association of Serviced Apartment Providers’ (ASAP) awards the company scooped four wins including General Manager of the Year, Sales Strategy of the Year, Guest Services Team of the Year and Housekeeping Team of the Year.
This year has also seen co-founder Tom Walsh being nominated as a finalist in the prestigious 2023 EY Ireland Entrepreneur of the Year programme. www.staycity.com.
Read more about Tom Walsh and the Staycity story here https://www.staycity.com/about
Photograph attached: A Staycity apartment at Frankfurt Airport
Press contact for further information, interviews or photography:
Linda Pettit, Tilburstow Media Partners,
Tel: +44 13 4283 2866 / Mob: +44 79 7378 9853
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