Amy Williams's victory in Vancouver in an extraordinary Skeleton competition is the first British individual gold medal at the Winter Olympics for 30 years. Britain’s medal ambitions for the London 2012 Olympics are gaining momentum, just like the infrastructure and building program in east London. More and more people are moving into the area to work on 2012 projects of all kinds including construction, project management and event management.

In order to accommodate many of the 2012 workers, several new serviced apartment buildings have been constructed in Canary Wharf. Oz Petruzziello of SilverDoor went to see the latest serviced apartment building, The Landmark (West Tower) in Marsh Wall. Oz comments “This is an impressive building with great features to offer and being positioned in such a convenient location is bound to be very popular. The apartments themselves are furnished to a high standard. I’d have to say after viewing many serviced apartments in Canary Wharf over the years, these are definitely one of my favourites and if I were working and staying in Canary Wharf, these would be my first choice for accommodation. Many people work late or even have a limited knowledge of a certain area and having a manned reception can be useful for busy people. The benefits are many, from getting your parcel collected to recommending a good place to eat.”

Studios, 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom serviced apartments are all available. The building is 30 floors with a 24 hour concierge service. All the apartments have floor to ceiling windows in the bedrooms and living rooms, letting in lots of natural light. All apartments benefit from washer/dryers, integrated appliances, Freeview TV, lots of storage space and lovely marble-finished bathrooms. These ultra-modern serviced apartments will be very popular once all the building work to the front of the reception area is finished. The apartments are just a 5 minute walk from Canary Wharf tube station.

On Saturday 13th February Charlie Bruce won the final of the BBC’s ‘So You Think You Can Dance?’, the search for Britain’s favourite dancer. SilverDoor’s Olivia Oragano is a long-time friend of Charlie since they met at the National Youth Ballet, so we were all rooting for her.

Coincidentally, SilverDoor was tasked with finding serviced accommodation for the show’s 16 finalists. Due to the “knock-out” nature of the competition, and the number of people involved, it was quite a challenge. Having filtered out the options with enough availability in one place, and with the flexibility to make weekly changes, we then needed the option of twin beds in each apartment, in order to keep within budget.

The BBC accommodated the 16 finalists in serviced apartments in Aldgate. The brand new landmark development features newly furnished luxury serviced apartments. Alex Neale of SilverDoor Corporate Sales, who managed the program said: “The apartments fitted the bill perfectly, as flexibility was the name of the game. Dancers and production crew switched apartments, meaning extra cleans, luggage shuffles, and towel and linen changes at short notice. In addition, the living room area meant that the dancers had the space to rehearse and perfect their routines”.

For the dancers, the serviced apartments provided all the extra space and facilities essential for stays of up to 42 nights, since they would return in the evening tired out after spending all day rehearsing gruelling dance routines. It also provided a more welcome base in a strange city for the young dancers, “being away from home was tough but the apartment turned into my own little pad which took away that homesick feeling” winner Charlie Bruce commented.

The fully equipped kitchens gave them the option of making their own snacks or meals, or storing cold drinks in the fridge. Alternatively they could order take-away food and eat it at a dining table, rather than perched on the edge of a bed, as one would do in a hotel room. Charlie particularly enjoyed the flexibility of having a kitchen “I had the freedom to eat when I had the time to, it meant I wasn’t constrained to set meal times like in a hotel”. From a cost point of view, the equivalent hotel options of ordering room service or eating in a hotel restaurant are considerably more expensive not to mention the restrictive opening times.

When choosing accommodation for business travel it is worth considering the options available. Serviced apartments are becoming increasingly popular and with the advantages they have over staying in a hotel, few would wonder why. Put simply, staying in a serviced apartment can make for a more comfortable stay and is more cost effective for a mid to long term stay than in a hotel.

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Business accommodation in cities comes in all shapes and sizes, available to suit all budgets from serviced apartment to luxury hotels to the new compact and pared down budget hotels. For companies sending one or more members of staff on longer business trips or perhaps relocating them to different countries, hotels are not cost effective.

Previously many companies would house employees, secondees and assignees in their own company-owned flats, but the recent economic downturn has seen many of these properties being sold off. While property prices were rising and interest rates were low, company flats were a good investment so most corporations didn’t mind too much if they were not fully occupied. But when property values started to fall, mortgage rates rose, credit became scarce and companies needed an injection of cash, many company flats were sold off.

Companies have since turned to serviced apartments in increasing numbers. The advantages of serviced apartments are well documented but essentially boil down to six main points: they are more spacious, offer more privacy, include fully equipped kitchens with laundry facilities, are regularly cleaned are more cost effective and have an all-inclusive nightly rate.

But how do you find the right serviced apartment for you? Do you go for an “extended stay” aparthotel which along with the individual apartments, provide hotel-style services such as in-room dining, concierge, or on-site restaurant? Alternatively there are serviced apartments in purpose-built residential-style buildings or individual private serviced apartments. Your budget, length of stay, location, and personal preferences will all be factors in helping you decide which style suits you best.

A search on the internet for “corporate serviced apartments” throws up over 62 million results, but of course these can be reduced by including other search words such as the city name or standard required. Many of the results will be from individual companies offering their own apartments, but it is very time consuming comparing different apartments, their facilities, Ts and Cs and rates, and then more inconvenient still when you’ve made 20 calls only to find that none of them are available.

The solution is to use a serviced apartment agent. Many of the serviced apartments agents represent thousands of apartments suitable for business accommodation in cities all over the world, and their websites will feature a search facility enabling you to input your requirements to find the perfect one: your nightly budget, length of stay, number of bedrooms required, whether you need parking, business services, or disabled access.

Alternatively you can call the agents directly and let them do all the hard work! A good agent will answer your call quickly and deal with your enquiry efficiently, offer you a selection of apartment options and provide full written quotes within an hour. They will also make arrangements with the different apartment providers to show you around as many apartments as you want, with no obligation. Agents also deal with all of the accompanying paperwork for your booking, check terms and conditions, simplify cancellation policies, negotiate rates and provide finance options.

Good agents make a point of visiting the apartments they represent, meaning that they offer the client first hand advice on your business accommodation; a woman staying alone may ask for an apartment with a video entry system, or a man working away from his young family may require an apartment that can provide cots or high hairs for when they come to visit, details that may not be advertised but that the agent is aware of, thanks to establishing a good working relationship with the apartment owners.

More and more people within the world of business travel are turning to serviced apartments as an option when on assignment or placement abroad. A relatively new concept when compared with traditional hotels, this type of accommodation has seen a significant growth in popularity in the last ten to fifteen years.

When you consider why serviced apartments have become so popular, it’s not hard to see the appeal. Spurred on by savvier travellers, they generally afford greater value for money than hotels. This is especially true of medium and long-term stays which see a reduction in rate the longer a guest is resident. Serviced apartments are self-contained and well-equipped as well, removing the guest’s reliance on the more expensive amenities of a hotel like catering and laundry services. Guests will, however, still enjoy some of the conveniences of a hotel like maid services and linen changes which are offered at least once a week.

It’s often the homely informality of these apartments that lures the seasoned traveller, too. The opportunity to live within an apartment that contrasts the often sterile and unwelcoming environment of hotel room is of great benefit to those away for periods of anywhere between one week and six months. The burgeoning choice of apartments from providers and agents also means that guests are able to specify their desired location, be it within the city centre, or close to the business district, or near to transport connections, or within easy reach of where they’ll be working.

Serviced apartments have now caught the attention of leading companies within the world of fashion. Armani and Fendi are two, highly-regarded brands who are currently in the process of developing properties with serviced apartments in the UAE. Within a luxury serviced apartment, the discerning traveller can expect to find integrated media centres, intelligent lighting, inspiring design-led interiors with marbled bathrooms, Jacuzzis and rainforest showers, luxury toiletries, Egyptian cotton linens and designer kitchens. These apartments will often be accompanied with a host of on-site services and amenities: business centres with secretarial services, gym and leisure facilities, a concierge, room service and perhaps a bar and restaurant.

Discreet, personal and unstuffy service is also commonly associated with luxury. Serviced apartments come in all shapes and sizes, from aparthotels attached to world renowned hotels, to the independent one-of-a-kind apartments. Service levels will reflect this variety accordingly, so whether you’re after a concierge for recommendations and a wealth of contacts and networks, or you’re looking for the more discreet ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ linen change, you’re sure to find a service level to suit your requirements.

Luxury means many things to many people. Some may regard outstanding views as a luxury or the privilege of staying in a building of historical significance. Fortunately, serviced apartment providers have recognised that a corporate client has the same expectations of luxury as the leisure traveller in a hotel. They have responded accordingly and you can find a serviced apartment in the most desirable locations, be it overlooking Sydney Harbour or the Eiffel Tower, to within the original Botanical Society of Edinburgh headquarters.

And for some luxury is simply space. Guests pay a premium for space particularly in the big metropolitans. Here, the major difference is that serviced apartment guests can enjoy all the space of a luxury hotel suite without the same price tag.