Complete directory of extended stay hotels in over 3,000 destinations.






Home
Biz-travel Resources
About bizstay.com
Listing on biz-stay.com
Advertising
Contact us

Extended Stay HotelExtended Stay Lodging

Extended Stay Lodging Directory > Business Travel Resources > Extended Stay Glossary

 Definitions of Extended Stay Terms

 
Share |

Many of our users ask "What is corporate housing?" or "What is a serviced apartment?" Biz-stay.com's directory covers the entire world, and many terms are unique to their own regions. While using our global extended stay directory you may encounter terms that are unclear. This glossary provides a detailed list of extended stay terms, and their definitions. If we have missed any, please feel free to contact Customer Service for assistance.

1-bedroom apartment
1-bedroom suite
2-bedroom apartment
2-bedroom suite
All-suite hotel
Aparthotel or Apart hotel
Apartment
Apartment hotel
Condo
Condo hotel
Condominium
Convertible
Corporate apartment
Corporate housing
Corporate suite
Efficiency
Ensuite
Extended stay
Evening reception
Extended stay hotel
Extended stay motel
Extended stay suite
Flat
Full kitchen
Furnished apartment
Holiday rental
HSIA
Interim housing
Kitchen
Kitchenette
Long stay
Long stay hotel
Minibar
Residential hotel
Self-catering
Service apartment
Serviced apartment
Serviced apartment hotel
Serviced residence
Short term housing
Sport court
Studio
Suite
Suite hotel
Temporary housing
Townhouse (or Townhome)
Vacation rental
Villa

1-bedroom apartment
An
apartment with a bedroom separate from the living/dining room


1-bedroom suite
A
suite with a bedroom separate from the living/dining room


2-bedroom apartment
An
apartment with two bedrooms separate from the living/dining room. Upscale apartments also have 2 bathrooms.


2-bedroom suite
A
suite with two bedrooms separate from the living/dining room. Upscale suites also have 2 bathrooms.


All-suite hotel
A hotel where all guestrooms are considered
suites. These could be extended stay hotels. (See our extended stay chain guide for a complete list.) Or non-extended stay suite hotels. These are often referred to as "Suite Hotels" in our directory. For a comparison of features at 17 popular suite hotel chains, see our suite hotel guide. In this category, we also include chains with a mix of suites and non-suites.


Aparthotel or Apart hotel
Same as an
apartment hotel. This term is popular in Spanish-speaking countries.


Apartment
Contains a
full kitchen, dining area, and living area, with at least one sleeping area and bathroom. Apartments share walls with other apartments, and usually have another apartment above and/or below.


Apartment hotel
Apartment hotels are popular in
Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South America, and in a few cities of the United States (e.g. Manhattan & Washington DC). They are essentially the same as extended stay hotels. One difference is that apartment hotels are usually found in major city centers and resort areas, and do not always offer extended stay discounts. Apartment hotels are especially plentiful in London, Edinburgh, Paris, Brussels, Prague, Barcelona, Madrid, Bangkok, Manila, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth, Auckland, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo.


Condo
Abbreviation for
condominium


Condo hotel or Condotel
Same as an
apartment hotel. This term is popular in resort areas, e.g. Costa del Sol Spain, Gold Coast Australia, Orlando Florida, Disney World, Miami Beach, Las Vegas and Honolulu.


Condominium
Same as an
apartment, but the word "condominium" is used more in resort areas


Convertible
A
suite or apartment where a moveable wall can be used to separate the sleeping area from the living/dining area, creating a separate bedroom (i.e. converting the unit from a studio to a 1-bedroom)


Corporate apartment
Corporate housing in an
apartment


Corporate housing
The term corporate housing is popular in the US and Canada, and is becoming more prevalent worldwide. It refers to a
furnished apartment (occasionally a town house or detached home) set up with telephone service, utilities and usually cable TV. Corporate housing is available for extended stays, usually with a 30-day minimum. Often housekeeping service (i.e. maid service) is provided, or can be arranged at an additional cost. Apartments in suburban areas are often located in large developments with many resort-style amenities, such as swimming pools, tennis courts, community center, and fitness room. Many apartments are equipped with a washer/dryer. Others have a laundromat onsite. Garage parking is occasionally available.


Corporate suite
Corporate housing in an
apartment


Efficiency
An efficiency is a studio apartment or 1-room hotel suite, with a
Kitchenette


Ensuite
This term (common in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) indicates that a hotel room includes private toilet/bath facilities. This is the standard for all hotels listed on Biz-stay.com. Notice is given in the rare cases that bathrooms are shared.


Evening reception
(Also known as Manager's Reception) Usually available Monday (or Tuesday) through Thursday at upscale extended stay hotels, such as Element, Residence Inn, Homewood Suites, Staybridge Suites, Hyatt House & Hawthorn Suites. Complimentary manager's receptions are also available at Embassy Suites. Service consists of beverages (including beer and wine), snacks and light entrée items.


Extended stay
An "extended stay" usually applies to stays of at least 5 or 7 nights, depending on the hotel. Extended stay discounts usually are in the form of weekly rates, and monthly rates, which are discounted even more. The term "extended stay" can refer to any long stay, up to one year. Those who reserve extended stays are typically engaged in business far from home (e.g. consultants), or are in need of
temporary housing for a relocation, or while their own home is being renovated.


Extended stay hotel
The term extended stay hotel is popular in the US & Canada, and is becoming more prevalent worldwide. Extended stay hotels vary considerably in their room types and amenities. However, they always have guest laundry facilities onsite, guestrooms (i.e. "
suites") with full kitchens (equipped with kitchen wares), and offer discounts for extended stays. Some extended stay hotels have only studio suites, while others offer larger 1-bedroom or 2-bedroom/2-bathroom suites. Available amenities can include free breakfast buffets, evening receptions or grocery shopping service. Housekeeping service can range from once per week to daily. For a comparison of features at extended stay hotel chains, see our extended stay chain guide.


Extended stay motel
The term "motel" originated in the early 20th century, meaning a hotel located near a major motorway (i.e. MOtor hoTEL), with a layout that permits parking near the door. In this sense, many
extended stay hotels in the US & Canada can also be considered to be extended stay "motels". Notable exceptions would be the upscale extended stay hotels located in major urban centers.


Extended stay suite
Extended stay suites are a special type of
suite. They vary widely in their features, but all have full kitchens. For a comparison of suite features at extended stay hotel chains, see our extended stay chain guide.


Flat
This term is popular in the UK and Ireland. A flat is the same as an
apartment.


Full kitchen
A full kitchen includes a sink, microwave oven, stovetop, and full-size refrigerator. Occasionally, a dishwasher and conventional oven are also included. Kitchens in
extended stay hotels and furnished apartments are almost always equipped with cooking & eating utensils, dishware and small appliances such a toaster, blender or coffee maker.


Furnished apartment
An
apartment that includes furniture, appliances, television, telephone, bed(s), dining set, kitchen wares, towels and linens. Often furnishings also include a clothes washer/dryer, stereo, VCR, or DVD player.


Holiday rental
Same as a
vacation rental. This term is common among English speakers outside the US & Canada.


HSIA
High-Speed Internet Access, can be either wired or wireless in suites/apartments. Wireless broadband Internet access is often available in hotels' public spaces also.


Interim housing
Same as
corporate housing, for stays of less than 1 year


Kitchen
Can mean either a
full kitchen or a kitchenette


Kitchenette
A kitchenette is sometimes a small version of a
full kitchen, with the same facilities; and other times a more limited arrangement, with just a sink (or "wet bar"), small refrigerator and a microwave oven.


Long stay
Same as
extended stay. Note, a "long stay" in a hotel is usually shorter than a "short term" stay in temporary housing.


Long stay hotel
Same as
extended stay hotel


Minibar
A mini refrigerator in a hotel room containing snacks and cold beverages. Items consumed are charged to the hotel bill.


Residential hotel
Same as an
apartment hotel, almost always offering extended stay rates


Self-catering
This term is popular in the
UK, Ireland, South Africa, Australia & New Zealand. It usually refers to a vacation rental, but can be any furnished apartment.


Service apartment
Same as a
serviced apartment. This term is popular in East Asia.


Serviced apartment
This term is popular in
Europe, South Africa, UAE, South Asia, East Asia, Australia & New Zealand. Serviced apartments can either be corporate housing (with frequent housekeeping) or serviced apartment hotels. Typical minimum stay lengths vary. In Singapore, Tokyo and Dubai, the minimum is usually 7 days. In Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, 30 days is the norm. In other areas, such as Bangkok, Manila, Seoul, Australia and New Zealand, there is often no minimum stay. In the UK and Shanghai, there are a mix of serviced apartments with no minimum stay and with seven-day (or longer) minimums.


Serviced apartment hotel
Same as an
apartment hotel. Serviced apartment hotels in most parts of the world have quality comparable to the best extended stay hotels in the US.


Serviced residence
Same as a
serviced apartment, but in rare cases could be a town house or detached home (instead of an apartment


Short term housing
Same as
corporate housing, for stays of less than 1 year (though a 30-day minimum is common in the US and elsewhere)


Sport court
Usually available in upscale extended stay hotels, such as Residence Inn, Homewood Suites, Staybridge Suites. Consists of a half basketball court. A net is also available for racquet games.


Studio
A type of
suite or apartment with living/dining and sleeping areas combined in one large room. Furnished apartment studios and studios in extended stay hotels have a full kitchen in the living/dining area also. Non-extended stay studios usually have just a kitchenette. Studios are especially well suited to those who like a feeling of openness.


Suite
A guestroom with features not normally found in a typical hotel room. These usually include separate sitting/dining areas and/or a
kitchenette. Other than extended stay suites, suites' kitchenettes usually are limited to a microwave oven, mini refrigerator, and sometimes a wet bar. Suites often have one or more bedrooms separated from the living/dining room. Some suites offer large whirlpool tubs. These are often referred to as "Jacuzzi suites" or "spa suites". Note that the term "suite" does not always indicate a greater degree of luxury, and a standard room at a 4-star hotel is nearly always more luxurious than a "suite" at a budget hotel.


Suite hotel
Biz-stay.com's directory includes all-suite hotels, and hotels that have a mix of standard rooms and
suites


Temporary housing
Same as
corporate housing, for stays of less than 1 year (though a 30-day minimum is common in the US and elsewhere)


Townhouse (or Townhome)
The same as an
apartment, except there are no other units above or below. Townhomes often have private attached parking garages.


Vacation rental
Usually a privately-owned
furnished apartment, townhome or cottage. Vacation rentals can be in large-scale resort communities or in quiet countryside locations. They are also found in popular urban tourist destinations, e.g. Las Vegas and London. Vacation rentals usually have a 2 or 3-day minimum stay, sometimes longer during holiday periods. Vacation rentals typically provide discounts to guests who rent by the week. They are not intended to serve longer extended stay customers. But owners are usually very willing to accommodate such requests, and substantial discounts can be negotiated.


Villa
A term used in resort areas (especially in
Florida, Las Vegas and Arizona), usually the same as an apartment or a town house. Occasionally a villa refers to a detached home, especially in Italy.



Extended Stay Lodging Worldwide:
Corporate Housing • Serviced Apartments • Self Catering • Long-Stay Motels
Extended Stay Hotels • All-Suite Hotels • Furnished Apartments
136 countries • 18,000 listings
 

Copyright ©2000-2024 biz-stay.com. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy |