Myth #1: Corporate Housing Is Just an Extended Stay Hotel in Disguise

Corporate housing and extended stay hotels are two vastly different types of accommodations that often are thought to be interchangeable. While both offer short-term, furnished accommodations, it is important to understand that the similarities between the two lodging types end there.

Corporate housing typically offers larger square footage, costs less than hotels, offers full customer service, and is used for stays averaging one month or more (the average corporate housing stay is 81 days, according to the 2008 Highlands Group Corporate Housing report). While these differences are significant, Paul Bates, president of Corporate Accommodations, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, says he believes these superficial differences do not really define the true disparities between corporate housing and extended stay hotels. Instead, Bates defines the difference as residential housing versus transient housing. Corporate housing provides complete temporary housing solutions within a stable residential setting unlike extended stay hotels, which are surrounded by an open parking lot and are filled entirely by transient guests. Understanding these unique and sometimes subtle differences between corporate housing and extended stay hotels can save a company thousands of dollars and provide guests with a more pleasant and positive stay.