I HAD SOME BUSINESS AT SHORT NOTICE in Bournemouth in June, coinciding with the week of the UNISON National Delegate Conference, ensuring that a room in the city centre was not an option. However, The Apartment Service came to the rescue with accommodation in Heavy Tree Court, walking distance from Parkstone railway station, only a short train or bus journey from Bournemouth.
BOOKING: The pre-arrival service was outstanding. TAS sent me a map and directions from Parkstone station to the apartment, plus a link to the National Rail timetable site – it doesn’t get better than that. Later, I received a booking confirmation, detailing the address, arrival and departure dates, rate and cancellation terms. An attachment gave a description of the building and attendant services – a new development comprising 11 apartments with high-speed broadband, home entertainment
systems with full Sky TV packages and parking space. I was asked to call Executive Serviced Apartments (ESA), the operator of the building, two hours prior to arrival, to confirm my arrival time, so that a representative could meet me there and check me in. CHECKING IN: A representative of ESA let me in, explained the technology and made sure I knew where everything was. She had even boiled the kettle in anticipation of my wanting a drink on arrival.
ACCOMMODATION: The bed was comfortable and the welcome pack, which included milk, tea, coffee and bread, set me up with a reasonable breakfast, by which time I realised how light the apartment was: I got the full benefit of the sunny weather. The flat was well designed, comfortable and convenient; and before departure, TAS sent me a polite email reminder to put the key in the letter box and to let ESA know I had vacated the building. All efficiently and pleasantly handled – I could not have asked for more.
(three-star). “This ensures continued emphasis on service, product and location, while continuing to embrace local culture and trends,” says Bridgestreet’s senior vice-president of sales and marketing, Jo Layton. And now, in its new go-getting
Bridgestreet STAR RATINGS 94
THE ONE AREA THAT plagues the industry worldwide is grading systems: some countries have none and there is no worldwide classification. In the UK, ASAP collaborated with Visit Britain to produce a scale based roughly on the self-catering model – but it was expensive, not all operators subscribed to it and several crafted their own measures. Silverdoor’s Silver Rosette rates the standards, quality and facilities
of serviced apartments on a scale of one to five at every Silverdoor property internationally. “We believe in supplying an extensive amount of information to back up the Silver Rosette guide so that clients can decide for themselves,” says marketing manager Engi Bally. Bridgestreet, meanwhile,
categorises apartments into Residences (five-star), Serviced Apartments (four-star) and Suites
incarnation, ASAP is taking the first steps to create a dedicated grading system for the sector. The first phase is an information gathering exercise, undertaken by two former Visit Britain and Quality in Tourism inspectors. “They will visit each member and go through the business operation and properties, before coming up with best practice for the association,” says ASAP manager Joyce Cawthorpe. “We feel it is really important to invest that time in analysis of operations – that number of independent assessments is hugely powerful.” ASAP has a code of conduct that members sign up to when they join and after the inspections this year, the association will review and extend it. “We have had a very positive reaction from members to our investing some of ASAP’s funds to cover the cost. It is part of the integrity of the association. Members will get to spend half a day with an assessor and will receive valuable advice and a business audit,” says Cawthorpe.
Heavy Tree Court, Lower Parkstone, Poole (The Apartment Service: Tel +44 (0) 20 8944 1444; www.apartmentservice.com)