15 Ways to Have an Amazing Stay In Corporate Housing

From ensuring a smooth arrival to getting to know the community. We’re sharing 15 tips for making the most of your corporate housing stay.

Staying in a corporate apartment will give you the most home-like stay while you’re on a long-term assignment or between homes.

Having more space to spread out and being able to prepare your meals at home are among the biggest benefits. But what if I told you it could be even better?

With the help of Brad Burleson, the Director of  Customer Experience at Viciniti, we’ve compiled a list of 15 ways to get even more out of your stay in corporate housing.

Preparing For Your Corporate Housing Stay

• Print your arrival instructions.

In the week or so right before your stay begins, you are going to receive an email with your arrival instructions. This is going to tell you exactly where your apartment is located, where to park, and how to get the keys.

You may think that as long as you know where to find that email, you’re good. But what happens if you encounter spotty cell phone coverage at just the wrong time? That is definitely not what you want when you need the address or key retrieval instructions for your new apartment.

This information in the arrival instructions is super important and you want it to be easily accessible. So do yourself a favor and print the instructions before you leave home, just to be safe.

• Take a Google street view tour of your new neighborhood.

Familiarize yourself with landmarks near your apartment. You will feel much more comfortable finding your way there the first time if you know what the apartment community looks like. 

Look for a street view of the entrance to the community so you know what the sign looks like. Also, check out what businesses are around the community. If you find yourself in heavy traffic or arriving late at night, you will be happy to see some familiar sights.

• Schedule a Meet & Greet.

At Viciniti, we love to greet you when you arrive. You do need to schedule this free service in advance, but it is a great way to have help getting the lay of the land right away.

Our staff will meet you at the door to hand over the keys, get you inside for the first time, and show you the amenities available to you in your new apartment community. They can also answer any questions about the city and recommend local stores and restaurants.

• Research grocery stores and pharmacies nearby.

One of the first things you’ll need to do when you get to your corporate apartment is buy a few groceries. Before you leave home, do a little research on the supermarkets nearby. You may even want to schedule an order that will be ready for pick-up when you arrive.

You will also want to scope out the pharmacies in your area. If you take regular medications, be sure to have your prescriptions transferred before you leave.

• Review the inventory list for your apartment.

While preparing for your stay, take some time to review the inventory list of what is provided in your apartment. While we try to cover everything you need for a temporary stay, sometimes our guests need additional items.

Maybe you need a tea kettle or a blender. Or maybe you are bringing your family along and need a crib and high chair for the baby. By contacting your guest service agent ahead of time, those extras can be placed in your apartment before you arrive.

Enjoy The Amenities at Your New Apartment Community

Watch the video to view a sampling of the type of amenities you’ll find in Corporate Housing.

 

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Many apartment communities today offer amenities that rival those of a resort hotel. And since being on the road can be stressful even when you have a nice place to stay, take advantage of those extras!

• Take a dip in the pool.

The pool is the pride of most apartment communities, and it shows. You are likely to find zero-entry pools, saltwater pools, private cabanas that you can rent for the day, and sometimes even a staffed tiki bar.

Grab yourself a trashy novel and a big sun hat and get down there. You deserve it!

• Keep your fitness routine going.

When I talk about the fitness center at an apartment community, you may be envisioning a broken-down treadmill and an exercise bike in a glorified closet next to the laundry room. 

Stop it.

Apartment communities are beefing up the fitness centers and including all kinds of high-end equipment. You’ll usually find some combination of weight machines, exercise balls, and free weights to go along with the cardio machines. 

Sometimes they’ll even have a separate yoga studio, an on-staff fitness trainer, fitness-on-demand classes, or a massage therapist. For many, the fitness center at the apartment community is so complete, there is no need to join an outside gym while staying in your corporate apartment.

When you choose an apartment in a more suburban setting, you will often find hiking/running trails that run right past your apartment building as well. It is an excellent complement to the on-site fitness center and will allow you the opportunity to get outside and enjoy some fresh air.

• Get social with your new neighbors.

When you’re in a new city, regardless of whether you will be staying there long-term, it’s fun to make new friends.

Apartment communities do a great job of facilitating these social interactions through resident events. We’ve seen all sorts of fun activities like holiday parties, wine tastings, painting parties, and luau parties by the pool. You may also have the opportunity to work together with other residents to adopt families at the holidays or serve a meal to people in need.

Most communities now have a social platform where they can get the word out about events or things happening in the community. Those platforms also provide a way for residents to interact with each other. This is especially helpful if your cat goes missing or you need a restaurant recommendation. 

• Take advantage of bike or scooter share.

If you have selected an apartment in a downtown location, one of the newer amenities you might see is a bike or scooter hub.

With so many cities working to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, they are encouraging the use of bikes or scooters. To make it even easier, bike or scooter hubs are positioned around the downtown area. 

Getting to work, or running an errand is super easy. Just use the app to start your ride. Then, when you get to where you’re going, end your ride on the app and leave it at the hub for the next person. No searching for a parking space, and you get to do a good thing for the environment!

Make Yourself at Home in Your Corporate Apartment

• Enjoy home-cooked meals.

Corporate apartments are equipped with a full kitchen and all the cookware needed to make and serve a meal. This means you can keep your healthy diet on track by preparing your own meals.

The kitchen is by far one of the most loved benefits of corporate housing guests, but it may have a slightly different feel from cooking at home. To get some tips for cooking while in corporate housing, or for inspiration, check out our article, Tips, and Tricks for Healthy Cooking While in Corporate Housing.

• Bring your fur baby along.

Another big benefit of corporate housing is being able to bring your pet along. Having that excited little friend greet you at the door is the quickest way to melt away the stress of the day.

Your doggo will also get to enjoy amenities at the apartment community created just for them. Off-lease dog parks and pet washing facilities have become quite common. And remember those hiking trails we talked about before? Oh man, your doggy friend is going to LOVE those!

• Bring reminders of home.

No matter how great your corporate apartment might be, you are bound to long for home at some point.

Stave off home-sickness by bringing a few of your favorite things with you. A pillow from your bed, your alarm clock, or photos of your family can make your temporary housing feel homier.

Also, think about the smells of home. Maybe there is a particular air freshener you like to use. By bringing that same scent into your corporate apartment, you can easily make it feel more like home.

Explore Your New Surroundings

• Find a new favorite store or market.

Before you travel to your new city, research a few grocery stores that are near your apartment. Then in the first week or so, go exploring. Which market has a produce section you like? Does one have better prices or brands than the others? Where can you find the friendliest staff?

If it is in season, a Farmer’s Market is also an excellent resource to check out when you’re new in town. This is one of the best ways to learn about your new community. Find out what produce is best in the area. Buy some fresh flowers to add life to your apartment. And enjoy all the offerings of the local craftsmen, artists, and musicians.

• Research new providers.

If you are staying in corporate housing because you’re relocating to the area, do some research on doctors, gyms, and restaurants. If you don’t know what neighborhood you prefer, it’s always a safe bet to look for places near your new office. 

Your new co-workers will be an excellent resource for this. But you may also get some great recommendations from the leasing agent in your apartment community if it is nearby. 

You can also ask the guest services agent with your corporate housing company. The guest services team at Viciniti prides itself on helping its guests “live like a local.” So definitely lean on them for help!

• Check out the local schools.

If you are relocating your family, finding the right school for your kiddos is one of the most important decisions you will make.

Your realtor or guest services agent can give you some great insights since this is a topic they help their clients with on a regular basis. Once you have a school district narrowed down though, you may want to check out the website greatschools.com. This site will give you information and reviews about individual schools within the district.

By following these suggestions, you are bound to have a fantastic stay while in corporate housing. To learn more about corporate housing and the benefits of working with Viciniti, check out our learning center for more articles and podcasts