Many organisations already place regular bookings for serviced apartments without ever going through a formal RFP process. This is especially common in extended stay and project-based travel, where demand tends to be flexible, urgent, or decentralised rather than locked into annual procurement cycles.

In these scenarios, accommodation is often sourced through a blend of informal and semi-structured channels. This can include direct relationships with known serviced apartment providers, ad hoc recommendations from colleagues, or repeat bookings made based on previous positive experiences. Travel decisions may sit with individual project managers, HR teams supporting relocations, executive assistants, office managers, or finance teams handling contractor accommodation budgets. In some organisations, bookings are also made by mobility teams or project delivery leads who prioritise speed and availability over formal supplier onboarding processes.

In these cases, rather than building a full RFP document, it is often more effective to introduce a supplier evaluation framework or comparison scorecard. This allows organisations to standardise decision-making across informal and formal booking channels, assessing key criteria such as location coverage, response times, compliance capability, cancellation flexibility, invoicing structure, duty of care support, and suitability for longer stays.

Here’s a step-by-step approach to comparing and booking serviced accommodation without an RFP (and a downloadable template):

Table of contents

1. 1. Defining Your Accommodation Requirements
   2. How Serviced Apartments Are Sourced in Practice
   3. Comparing Inventory Reach and Geographic Coverage
   4. Assessing Property Quality and Consistency
   5. Reviewing Safety, Compliance, and Duty of Care
   6. Evaluating Traveller Experience
   7. Comparing Total Cost of Stay
   8. Assessing Commercial Flexibility
   9. Reporting, Visibility, and Programme Control
   10. Service Model and Account Management
   11. Downloadable Serviced Apartment Evaluation Template

Before comparing suppliers, define:

• Typical stay lengths (7 nights, 30 nights, 90+ nights)
• Core locations and geographic coverage
• Types of travellers (project teams, executives, relocating employees, interns, contractors)
• Expected booking volumes and frequency
• Budget parameters and approval thresholds
• Group or multi-unit accommodation needs
• Relocation and assignment requirements

Different providers specialise in different segments. A supplier strong in short corporate stays may not be well suited to large-scale relocations or multi-unit project housing.

Similarly, if you have different budget caps for junior and senior staff, it is likely they will need to be placed in different providers.

2. Understand How Accommodation Is Sourced

3. Compare Inventory Reach and Geographic Coverage

Ask the provider:

• Which cities do they cover?
• Do they offer UK-wide inventory?
• Can they support international requirements?
• Is inventory owned, managed, or aggregated across multiple partners?

Providers with access to multiple operators or supply networks typically offer greater flexibility, especially during peak demand periods or in constrained markets.

Checkin Apartments is a UK specialist with access to vetted serviced apartment providers across many key cities around the world.

4. Assess Property Quality and Consistency

Not all serviced apartments and aparthotels offer the same level of quality. They vary significantly in specification, even within the same city.

Key areas to review include:

• Apartment size and layout
• Kitchen quality and equipment
• Laundry facilities
• Wi-Fi performance and reliability
• Workspace suitability
• Housekeeping frequency
• Building amenities and security

Where possible, request sample properties or representative units in priority locations to ensure consistency aligns with expectations.

If you can, it is highly recommend to go on viewings to see the properties in person ahead of booking.

5. Review Safety, Compliance, and Governance

Compliance is often underweighted in informal booking environments, yet it is critical for corporate duty of care.

Check whether the provider can demonstrate:

• Fire safety compliance
• Public liability insurance
• Health and safety procedures
• Emergency support
• Industry accreditation

Recognised benchmarks may include ASAP membership, ISAAP accreditation, or ISO certifications.

For many corporate programmes, this is a non-negotiable requirement.

If you partner with a specialist serviced apartment agency like Checkin Apartments, these factors are already checked for you as their portfolio consists of pre-vetted providers that comply with local health and safety regulation and are independently accredited.

6. Evaluate Traveller Experience

Beyond the property itself, the end-to-end experience plays a major role in satisfaction and retention.

Consider:

• Guest reviews
• Ease of booking and confirmation including payment process
• Check-in process and arrival experience (is there 24 hour reception or self check-in codes_
• On-site or remote support availability
• Response times to issues or requests
• Ability to manage extensions smoothly
• Relocation or settling-in support

A cheaper serviced apartment that generates traveller complaints can create significant hidden costs.

It is key to get the balance right and serviced accommodation specialists like Checkin Apartments are here to ensure that bookers are well informed with all the information they need, as well as factors they may not have considered to ensure the smoothest of stays.

7. Compare Total Cost of Stay

Nightly pricing alone rarely reflects true value for extended stays.

A more accurate comparison should include:

• Accommodation rate
• Cleaning charges
• Utilities and Wi-Fi
• Laundry facilities
• Parking costs
• Cancellation flexibility
• VAT treatment

When evaluated holistically, the lowest nightly rate is not always the most cost-effective option over time.

For example, booking a private short term rental online without furnishings, cleaning and bills will appear cheaper, but come without the critical duty of care and 24/7 support in addition to the all the other costs that are usually built into a professionally managed serviced apartment rate.

8. Assess Commercial Flexibility

Extended stay demand is rarely static, so flexibility is critical.

Ask:

• What are the cancellation terms?
• Can stays be extended?
• Are there long-stay discounts?
• Is consolidated billing available?
• Can rates be negotiated?

This becomes particularly important for project accommodation and relocations where dates frequently change.

Serviced apartments are usually very flexible, however they operate with certain booking terms. Be aware that changes to the booking, especially shortening the stay, can result in rate changes.

9. Look at Reporting, Visibility, and Control

As accommodation programmes mature, visibility becomes essential.

Corporate buyers increasingly require:

• Consolidated invoicing
• Spend reporting by project or cost centre
• Booking and utilisation data
• Traveller tracking capabilities
• Audit-friendly documentation

Providers that support reporting can significantly reduce administration.

Here at Checkin Apartments, we offer our corporate clients a streamlined client portal to manage requests, bookings, invoices, billing and other elements of the stay ensuring they have full visibility of their account. Contact us to set up your client portal today.

10. Evaluate Service and Account Management

Ask:

• Will you have a dedicated contact?
• Is support available outside office hours?
• Can urgent requests be handled?
• How are service issues escalated?

For organisations managing multiple locations or high volumes, service quality directly impacts programme stability.

Checkin Apartments offers a bespoke account management service tailored to your business requirements, supported by 24/7 assistance, transparent case tracking, clear escalation pathways, and a responsive approach to urgent and time-sensitive requests.

11. Downloadable Template

In many organisations, serviced apartment procurement evolves organically rather than through formal tendering. While this approach offers flexibility, it can also introduce inconsistency in quality, cost, and compliance.

A structured comparison framework bridges that gap, enabling travel, HR, and procurement teams to make confident, repeatable decisions—even without an RFP in place.

To help you apply this framework in practice, we’ve created a ready-to-use Serviced Apartment Supplier Comparison Scorecard.

To simplify implementation, we’ve created a ready-to-use evaluation toolkit.

It includes:

• Supplier scoring matrix
• Weighted comparison model
• Cost breakdown template
• Compliance checklist
• Editable Excel format for internal use

Complete the form below to receive your free download instantly.