Category Archives: Business Traveler Advice

Why Business Travelers Should Consider Renter’s Insurance When Staying in Corporate Housing

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Recently, Corporate Housing By Owner partnered with Travel Guard and offered a webinar to provide landlords with information on renter’s insurance options for their tenants.

 

As a business traveler, you may think insurance is just for the owners or landlords of corporate rentals (it’s not your flat screen television or expensive furniture).  However, you may want to (re)consider the following:

  • Renter’s insurance will cover your personal belongings in case of a fire, flood or any liability issues.  If the property you are renting experiences any damage from the outside elements, the owner’s insurance will cover expenses and repairs. But let’s say your computer, iPad, cell phone and expensive business suits you are traveling with are destroyed from the overhead sprinkler system that was set-off due to a fire, who will replace those items? If you have renter’s insurance, they will be covered.
  • Renter’s insurance will cover any hotel costs you may incur if the unit you are renting becomes inhabitable during your lease term.
  • Renter’s insurance also covers you, the renter, against any liability if someone is injured on the property and tries to sue or if any property within the rental unit is damaged by fault of your own – such as breaking a glass table or damaging a wall

If you are interested in obtaining renter’s insurance, shop online, or inquire with the insurance company that covers your car or business (discounts are usually offered when you add renters insurance along with your current policies). Also, many CHBO landlords offer low-cost insurance policies if you need short-term insurance only. Check with your landlord if this is something you’d like to consider.

Hopefully you’ll never have to use the insurance during your extended travels, but as the saying goes, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Corporate Housing: THE Lodging Solution for Major League Baseball Spring Training 2012 (Phoenix/Tucson and Central Florida)

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Even though we are approaching the holiday season, at Corporate Housing By Owner we are starting to think about the spring of 2012 and the upcoming Major League Baseball season.

Now is a great time to get a jump start on your corporate housing search, for both baseball players and fans heading to Phoenix/Tucson, Arizona or Central Florida for Spring Training.

Why Corporate Housing is Great for Baseball Players

For the players, corporate housing is the perfect option.  Being on the road long-term can be an isolating experience, especially if you’re staying in a hotel.

Corporate housing offers:

  • Home-like surroundings including full-size kitchens that are perfect for preparing healthy meals.
  • Private sleeping quarters that are convenient for visiting family and friends.
  • Privacy.  Players wont have to walk the lobby of a busy hotel every day on their way to practice.
  • Convenient location close to the training facilities and ballparks.

Plus, baseball players are constantly on the road during the regular season staying in hotels for away games. Living in corporate housing during spring training is a great opportunity to make a home-away-from-home before the madness of the regular season begins.

Why Corporate Housing is Great for Baseball Fans

This time of year is a busy travel period in Arizona and Florida due to school spring breaks and fans attending the spring training games. This results in overpriced and overcrowded hotels.

By staying in corporate housing, traveling fans can:

  • Avoid busy hotels
  • Save money by negotiating pricing with private landlords.
  • Save even more money by cooking meals in the full-size kitchens during their stay.
  • Won’t have to fight to get into local restaurants.
  • Be in close proximity to other local attractions to visit when they aren’t attending games.

CHBO recommends starting your baseball spring training corporate housing search now.  The earlier you start the better, as there will be more availability and better pricing.

Make Business Travel Greener: Five Ways to Lighten Your Corporate Travel Carbon Footprint

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Your mantra at home may be “reuse, reduce, recycle,” but when you hit the road for business travel – whether you stay in corporate housing or a hotel – do your environmentally friendly tendencies tend go out the window?  Remember, being green while traveling for work doesn’t have to be hard if you commit yourself to thinking differently.

 

Here are five simple ways to lighten your carbon footprint when on the road for business:

1.)  Dine In – Restaurants can be wasteful, especially the fast food varieties.  With all of the paper packaging and huge portions, your contribution to landfills can be significant in just one meal.  Instead, stay at a corporate rental, which offers full-size kitchens (including dishes and silverware), and stock up on foods at the local grocery store that you can prepare in-house that are healthy, nutritious and less wasteful.  Making meals at home (even a brown bag lunch) is easier on your wallet, waistline and the world at large.

2.)  Hoof It – When booking your accommodations, choose a location that is close to your office, work site or local transportation (such as buses and trains). You won’t need to rent a car and you may just get some exercise and a walking tour of your new city all the while reducing your carbon footprint.

3.)  Regulate the Temp – Mind the thermostat for times when you are not at home to save on energy.  Keeping blinds drawn and turning lights off when not in use will help too!

4.)  Reuse Linens – Reusing the same sheets and towels daily will save water.  If you’re staying in a hotel, often your towels and sheets are collected daily for laundering, wasting energy and resources on sheets that aren’t dirty at all.  If you are staying in a corporate rental, it’s easy to keep washings of things like towels and linens to a minimum.

5.)  Recycle on the Road – Recycling bins and receptacles are pretty common now and can be found on the street in major cities next to trash bins.  Try to hang on to easy to recycle items until you come across a place to deposit.  If you are staying in a corporate rental, some landlords may already offer the option of recycling.  Be sure to ask your landlord if they participate in a recycling program, and if they don’t perhaps you can inspire them to do so for you and future tenants.

With just a few simple actions, you’re on your way to maintaining a greener lifestyle while traveling for business.

News Alert: Corporate Business Travelers: Beware of Possible New Airline Fees

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As experts in corporate housing and business travel, we wanted to inform you of new possible travel fees [maybe] headed your way.

Airline Credit Card Fees

Airlines may start charging passengers a “credit card surcharge” for purchasing airline tickets.  Typically, when tickets are purchased through travel agencies, the airlines pick-up the credit card fees.  Now in Europe, Lufthansa and its group carriers have started charging their passengers a surcharge of $4.56 per transaction to recoup some of those fees.

Tickets for flights departing from airports in Germany, Belgium, Finland, the United Kingdom and Switzerland will be subject to the surcharge. U.S. travel agencies with multinational clients will be affected if they purchase tickets issued in one of the six countries. Negotiated corporate fares will be exempt until March 31, 2012.

Credit card surcharges are common for low-cost carries, but it seems lately they have been making their way to network carriers such as British Airways and now Lufthansa.  Airlines in the U.S. are watching closely to see what happens in Europe.

For more information, click here.

Government Proposed Airline Fees

In President Obama’s recently proposed “New Jobs Program” legislation, there are items that would effect the cost of air travel including:

-       Imposing a $100 fee on each commercial airliner and corporate jet every time one takes off.

-       Raising the per-passenger security fee, which helps pay for TSA’s airport screening, from the current $2.50 for each leg of a flight to a maximum of $5 for a one-way trip.

Increases would be likely passed on to passengers through ticket prices.  Business travelers who routinely fly connecting trips wouldn’t see an immediate price increase if Congress approves the legislation and raises the $2.50 fee. However, anyone flying direct each way on a trip would see the tax double immediately and triple in the following five years.

For more information, click here.

Five Things Every Business Travelers Should Look for in a Corporate Rental Stay

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Independently owned corporate housing options, such as the listings you will find on Corporate Housing By Owner, are as unique as the people who own and manage them.  From the basic offerings to higher end finishes to a more diverse location, with managed corporate housing you’ll find a property that is tailored made for your needs.

So, what should you look for when searching for a corporate rental?  That depends on what is important to you in your stay, but here are five elements you should evaluate a property for:

-       Does the property offer the lease terms and availability you require? Check the dates that the corporate rental is available (in CHBO, view the listing’s Availability Calendar) to determine if its availability corresponds with your lease start time, length of stay and lease end date. Also, if you need more flexibility, like the option to renew your lease on a month to month basis, is the landlord flexible with the availability schedule to allow you to extend and end your stay as necessary?

-       Does the property’s rent fall within your budget? Whether your company is paying for your stay, or rent is coming out of your own pocket, everybody has a budget to stick to. However, posted prices may be flexible depending on the lease terms, length of stay, etc.  So don’t eliminate the property without finding out if the landlord is flexible with the rate.

-       Does the property offer the amenities and conveniences you are looking for? If you like to get in a quick workout every morning, you’ll want to be sure the property you choose has an onsite fitness center.  And if an Internet connection is essential, you’ll need to confirm that the unit features that as well.  Make a list of the little things in your life that you must have and cross-reference it with the property’s attributes.

-       Does the property’s location match your needs? Location should be at the top of your check list. Making sure that a property is located in close proximity to your work, grocery stores, restaurants and, overall, with a setting that you feel comfortable in.

-       Does the property size fit your requirements? If you are bringing the family with you or expecting visitors during your stay, you’ll not only want to be sure the property features enough bedrooms or sleeping space for its occupants, but also you’ll want to make sure that guests are okay with your landlord. The same goes for pets. If you’re bringing your cat or dog along for the stay, you’ll need to discuss whether this is permitted with the landlord and if there are extra fees involved as well.

Keeping the above in mind when searching for a corporate rental should help you find the perfect place for your temporary stay in no time!

 

 

Why Business Travelers Should Opt for Corporate Housing Over a Hotel

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You’ve been in this scenario before. You’ve just been assigned an out-of-town project for work and will have to relocate for several weeks.  You need to find extended lodging – preferably something different from a stark hotel – while you’re on assignment.

Instead of checking into the cheapest hotel you can find, why not choose to stay in corporate housing instead?

If you are a regular business traveler, it’s important to understand that you have multiple lodging options and you don’t always have to stay in a small, impersonal hotel room.

There are two key benefits to staying in a corporate rental vs. a hotel during your business travels:

1. Less Expensive: If your stay is one month or longer, corporate housing is often cheaper than staying in a hotel.  It is more of a value with no extra lodging fees or taxes, no daily charges for Internet, no parking fees and less hassles.  Plus you’ll save on dining as you can eat your meals in a private kitchen and you won’t have to pay for expensive room service or restaurant dining.  Plus, where hotel daily rates add up the longer you stay, corporate rentals reward you when you commit to longer stays.

2. Home-like Feel: You’ll also benefit from the personal and home-like feel of corporate housing.  Hotels can be loud, closed-in and lack privacy.  Corporate housing eliminates the transient feel of a hotel and makes you feel like you’re a part of the community at large – living like a local in a home or condo.

When you’re called out of town for work for an extended time, ask your HR department to help you find a corporate rental.  You’ll save your company money and you’ll feel more at home – a win-win for all!

How to Live Like a Local on Your Next Business Trip

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A great way to experience a new city as a business traveler is to book accommodations in a corporate rental instead of a hotel. Why?

First of all, hotels can be isolating for someone visiting a new city. A hotel feels like you’re a tourist and you’re holed up in a small hotel room alongside other transient guests.

However, staying in corporate housing allows business travelers to live like the locals do. From experiencing a new residential neighborhood and meeting people who live in the area to providing access to the creature comforts of home like a full sized kitchen and plush home furnishings – corporate rentals cannot be beat.

Second, staying in a corporate rental can help business travelers adjust to being in a different city faster.  This is because a corporate rental feels more like home than a stark and basic hotel room. Someone staying in corporate housing can live where locals live, shop where locals shop, and commute like locals commute.

Traveling for business is stressful enough, but with the creature comforts of home and an experience that resemble the local community, a corporate rental certainly has its perks over the basic hotel room – that’s for sure!

A USA Today article offers a list of 10 places for business travelers to visit in the United States.  Be sure to consult the list the next time you’re called out of town for work; you might just turn that boring business trip into an unforgettable experience coupled with local culture and lifestyle.