For a week-long business trip, a serviced residence or apart-hotel usually beats a standard hotel room: you get a real kitchen, in-apartment laundry, more space and a lower weekly rate. The main routes are the residence brands, Ascott, Frasers, Marriott Executive Apartments and London's Cheval Collection, or a long-stay suite at a full-service hotel such as Aman New York or The Beaumont. This guide compares them and how to book.
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Serviced residence vs apart-hotel vs hotel suite
The fast answer: a serviced residence gives you the most home-like space and the lowest weekly cost, an apart-hotel adds more hotel service on top of a kitchen, and a luxury hotel suite gives you the best service and address but usually only a kitchenette. The table below sets out the trade-offs.
| Type | Kitchen | Laundry | Weekly rate | Service | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serviced residence | Full kitchen | In-apartment | Lowest | Light, scheduled | 1 week to months |
| Apart-hotel | Kitchen / kitchenette | In-unit or on-site | Mid | Reception, some daily | Space plus service |
| Luxury hotel suite | Kitchenette / wet bar | Valet laundry | Highest | Full, daily | Service and address |
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What changes on a weekly stay
Over a week, the priorities that barely register for one night become the whole experience. Four things matter most. A kitchen or at least a kitchenette lets you eat in when you want to, which after several nights of restaurant dinners is a relief, not a compromise. In-apartment or on-site laundry removes the need to over-pack or pay hotel valet prices every few days. A proper desk with reliable fast Wi-Fi, and real separation between the sleeping and working areas, keeps a week of work sane. And weekly or long-stay rates, which residences publish and many hotels will quote on request, typically come in below the cost of seven separate nightly bookings. A concentrated weekly stay is also one of the quickest ways to climb a loyalty tier.
Route one: serviced residences and apart-hotels
For the most home-like week at the lowest cost, book a serviced residence or apart-hotel. These are purpose-built for stays of a week to several months, with full kitchens, laundry and generous living space, and they are the category the big operators have refined over decades.
The residence brands
Three global operators lead the category. Ascott, part of CapitaLand, runs serviced apartments across more than 220 cities under names including Ascott, Somerset and Citadines, with its own Ascott Star Rewards loyalty programme. Frasers Hospitality offers a similar network of Fraser Suites and Fraser Residences in major business hubs. Marriott Executive Apartments, in the market for over twenty-five years across sixteen-plus countries, delivers studios to three-bedroom residences with separate living and working areas and gourmet kitchens, and crucially earns Marriott Bonvoy points and nights. Honest con: these are functional rather than glamorous, so if you want a scene or a destination restaurant downstairs, they will feel corporate.
Cheval Collection, the London benchmark
In London, the Cheval Collection is the luxury benchmark for a weekly stay. Cheval Three Quays sits on the Thames beside the Tower of London with 159 one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and penthouses, fully equipped kitchens, in-apartment laundry, a 24-hour reception and a gym, and it can be booked from a single night up to long-stay terms. Its sisters at Cheval Thorney Court in Kensington and elsewhere run the same model. Honest con: prime-London serviced apartments are not cheap, and the trade-off for the space is lighter daily housekeeping than a full hotel.
Route two: luxury hotels built for the long stay
If you would rather have full hotel service and a marquee address, book a suite at a luxury hotel set up for extended stays. You give up the full kitchen for a kitchenette or wet bar, but you gain daily service, dining and a spa. Two properties illustrate the top of this route.
Aman New York
Aman New York, on Fifth Avenue in Midtown, is built for space and privacy over a long stay. Its 83 suites are unusually large for the city, with a dedicated office, kitchenette and wet bar, and the property has opened 22 of its Aman Residences for overnight and extended stays, running up to three bedrooms with a personal butler and house car. It suits an executive who wants sanctuary and the full Aman spa between meetings. Honest con: it is one of the most expensive stays in New York, with residences starting in the tens of thousands per night, so it is a stay for the largest budgets.
The Beaumont, London
The Beaumont in Mayfair is a five-star Art Deco hotel that openly welcomes extended stays, from a weekend to a longer run, with spacious suites, a spa and a central London address minutes from the West End and the City. Its Roosevelt Suite scales from one bedroom up to a five-bedroom, 606-square-metre residence for those bringing family or a team. Honest con: it is a hotel rather than an apart-hotel, so you get service and elegance rather than a full kitchen and self-catering independence.
How to book a weekly rate
Whichever route you choose, book the rate the right way. First, always ask directly about a weekly or long-stay rate for any booking of five nights or more, because many hotels only quote it on request and it usually beats seven nightly rates. Second, on serviced residences compare the long-stay tiers, since some cut the price further and adjust housekeeping at seven, fourteen and thirty nights. Third, put the stay through the loyalty programme that earns, Bonvoy at Marriott Executive Apartments or Ascott Star Rewards at Ascott, so a single concentrated trip pushes you toward elite status. Fourth, confirm the practical essentials in writing before you commit: kitchen or kitchenette, in-unit laundry, desk and Wi-Fi speed, and how often the apartment is serviced.
How to choose
Match the stay to your priority. If cost and a self-catering, home-like week matter most, book a serviced residence such as Ascott, Frasers or Marriott Executive Apartments, or Cheval Collection in London. If you want more hotel service on top of a kitchen, an apart-hotel is the middle path. And if service, dining and a marquee address outweigh a full kitchen, book a long-stay suite at a hotel like Aman New York or The Beaumont. Then let loyalty break the tie: if status matters, favour a branded residence that earns points over an independent one of similar quality.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best type of hotel for a week-long business stay?
Usually a serviced residence or apart-hotel, for the kitchen, laundry, space and lower weekly rate. The main brands are Ascott, Frasers, Marriott Executive Apartments and, in London, the Cheval Collection. If you prefer a full-service hotel, book a long-stay suite at a property like Aman New York or The Beaumont.
Do hotels offer weekly rates?
Often, but you usually have to ask. Serviced residences publish long-stay and weekly rates below seven nightly rates, and many hotels will quote a reduced weekly rate for stays of five nights or more, especially in quieter periods. Always ask directly before booking a run of nights.
What should you look for in a weekly business hotel?
A kitchen or kitchenette, in-room or on-site laundry, a proper desk with fast Wi-Fi, and separation between sleeping and working space. A location near your office or a direct transit line, with a gym and grocery nearby, turns a hotel into a functional temporary home.
Can you earn loyalty points on a weekly stay?
Yes, and a concentrated week is one of the fastest routes to an elite tier. Marriott Executive Apartments earn Bonvoy points and nights, and Ascott has Ascott Star Rewards. Independent residences may not earn points, so weigh loyalty against apartment quality.
Plan the rest of the trip: our business hotels pillar frames the category, while the guides to the best executive lounges and fast business Wi-Fi cover the details that matter on a long stay. Browse our business hotel picks, the London and New York directories, all city guides, or our methodology.
