Corporate Housing Versus Other Accommodations: A Comparison

Corporate Housing Versus Other Accommodations: A Comparison

Submitted by: Samuel Davidson

Although few people are aware they can reserve a corporate apartment while traveling, the option is becoming increasingly popular. Up until a few years ago, most people assumed fully furnished living areas were the domain of companies that needed to send employees on temporary assignments. That was the case a long time ago. The market has since changed, and many housing providers have opened their properties to all consumers who need a temporary home.

Given that you can lease a furnished condo, apartment, or townhome, is there a compelling reason to do so? How does this option compare with staying at a hotel or with friends? We’ll explore this issue below. We’ll compare corporate housing with other accommodations to demonstrate why more people are considering this option when traveling away from home.

Differences Between A Hotel And A Corporate Apartment

Recall your last experience staying in a hotel room. The room itself was likely small, affording little space to move around and relax. Although a bed, couch (possibly), and bathroom/shower were included, there was probably little else worth noting. Most hotel rooms are designed to accommodate those who need a place to sleep and shower. They are seldom built with comfort as a priority (despite the advertising).

Sleeping at the hotel may have been a challenge. Other guests at the facility might have been arriving and leaving throughout the night, making noise while doing so. Additionally, the walls separating the rooms may have been thin enough for you to hear your neighbors.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVtFO1FtStQ[/youtube]

Now, consider the experience of staying in a fully furnished corporate apartment. First, you’ll have much much space, often more than twice that offered by a typical hotel room. That means you and your companions (or family) will be able to relax.

Second, your living quarters will come with a fully outfitted kitchen, complete with an oven, stove, microwave, and large refrigerator. Moreover, you’ll have all of the tools you need to cook indoors, sparing you from having to visit restaurants whenever you’re hungry.

Third, the communities in which corporate housing is located are usually very quiet. Other tenants, some with young families, are residents of the neighborhood. People tend to keep normal hours, which should make sleeping during evenings easier.

Fourth, when you lease temporary housing, you’ll be immersed in the community. You’ll experience what residents experience. In many ways, it’s akin to being at home. When you stay at a hotel, much of this experience is lost. Hotels are usually insulated from the bustle of “normal” life.

Should You Stay With Friends While Traveling?

Another option is to ask friends whether they will allow you to stay in their homes while you’re on the road. This option offers distinct benefits. First, you’ll avoid the high cost of a hotel room since your friends will probably allow you to stay for free. Second, their companionship is also a benefit. Being around friends while traveling away from home alleviates much of the stress that accompanies being in a new, unfamiliar place.

But there are also noteworthy drawbacks to staying with friends. First, you might get in their way (or vice versa) while using the kitchen, bathroom, and living areas. Second, if you plan to stay longer than a few days – for example, more than a month – you risk becoming an annoyance. This can strain even the strongest friendships.

If you prefer to avoid becoming a burden to your friends, your choices for accommodations are to stay in a hotel room or a furnished apartment or condo. Most people mistakenly assume the former is less expensive.

Does Corporate Housing Cost More Than A Hotel?

Although a hotel room is smaller, more cramped, and provides far fewer amenities than a corporate apartment, it is usually more costly to stay there. The actual daily rate may be the same, but the taxes and surcharges levied by a hotel can add hundreds of dollars to the final bill.

Most people are surprised to learn that leasing a temporary home that offers more space, more amenities, and a more rewarding experience is less expensive. This is one of the top reasons corporate housing is steadily becoming more popular among travelers.

About the Author: Find out more information about

Alexandria Va Apartments

and

Washington DC Apartments

from www.DabneyProperties.com

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<div class=UK Prince William picks brother Harry to be best man at royal wedding
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UK Prince William picks brother Harry to be best man at royal wedding

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Prince William of Wales has selected his brother Prince Harry to be the best man at his wedding. The announcement was made by a spokesman at St James’s Palace. It has also been revealed that Prince William’s fiancée, Kate Middleton, has asked her sister Philippa to be her Maid of Honour. Prince William and Middleton will marry on April 29th of this year at Westminster Abbey.

When it was announced that William and Kate had become engaged Prince Harry commented saying that: “It means I get a sister, which I have always wanted,” and that he was “delighted”.

As well as the announcements of the best man and Maid of Honour, other plans have been released as well. The four bridesmaids have been announced as the daughter of the Earl and Countess of Wessex, Lady Louise Windsor, who is seven years old. Eight-year-old Margarita Armstrong-Jones, who is the daughter of Viscount and Viscountess Linley, and three-year-old Grace van Cutsem, the daughter of Hugh van Cutsem, who is a close friend to both William and Kate. The three-year-old granddaughter of the Duchess of Cornwall will be the forth bridesmaid.

Two page boys have been announced as William Lowther-Pinkerton and Tom Pettifer. Lowther-Pinkerton is the son of William’s private secretary while Pettifer is the son of William and Harry’s former nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke.

However, details of the bridesmaid dresses and page boys uniforms will not be revealed until the day of the wedding.

Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=Over 60 illegal miners die in South African mine fire
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Over 60 illegal miners die in South African mine fire

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Over 60 miners were killed in an abandoned gold mine shaft near Welkom, in the Free State province of South Africa, after a fire broke out inside the mine.

36 bodies from the Harmony Gold mining company Eland mine shaft were brought up earlier on the weekend from depths up to 1.4 kilometers (1 mi). On Tuesday, 25 more bodies were recovered by other illegal workers.

“We suspect there was a fire on the 18th of May. We never saw any smoke. Over the weekend [30 May] we were informed by other illegal miners that people had died,” said Tom Smith, Chief Operating Officer for Harmony’s South Region, “The bodies are not burnt. It seems more of a case of gas or smoke inhalation. I don’t know if there are any more bodies down there, we just have to wait.”

The workers may have died from poisonous gasses, smoke inhalation, suffocation, cave-ins or carbon monoxide poisoning.

Harmony gold mine will not send anyone in to the mine as the conditions are extremely dangerous and abandoned shafts are without safety equipment. Illegal workers may gain access bypassing security at one mine site, and exit via a series of interconnected underground tunnels many miles away.

Harmony is internationally the fifth largest gold mining company and has bought up old, abandoned mines.

Police were seeking relatives to help identify the bodies, and are instigating an investigation into the circumstances.

Almost 300 “gold pirates” were arrested over the past two weeks at the Eland mine shaft alone. Thousands of illegal workers can be underground, and remain working for weeks and months continuously. “These are ex-miners and unemployed people – we need to target the syndicates,” said Smith.

There are over 4.18 million unemployed in South Africa due to the economic decline, and another 1 million may soon join the ranks.

Susan Shabangu, the minister of mining, extended her condolences.

Welkom, with a population of over 400,000 is located 160 kilometers (99 mi) northeast of Bloemfontein, the provincial capital.

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<div class=One day after attempted rescue, six stranded whales die on Australian beach
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One day after attempted rescue, six stranded whales die on Australian beach

Thursday, March 26, 2009

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Six whales have died after becoming stranded on a southwest Australia beach, one day after conservation officials attempted to rescue them.

A pod of about 90 long-finned pilot whales were stranded on Hamelin Bay Tuesday. More than 70 of the mammals died, along with four dolphins, but about 10 whales were guided back out to sea by officials from the Australian Department of Environment and Conservation.

Six of the rescued whales washed up on a different beach less than a day later. Three died of natural causes Wednesday, and the other three were shot by veterinarians due to their poor condition.

About 180 volunteers, wildlife officers and veterinarians participated in the Tuesday rescue effort, but officials said there had always been a risk that the whales could be stranded again. “It is frustrating, there is a lot of effort by the community and by DEC staff, it is a frustrating process when that happens but it’s not totally unexpected,” said John Carter, state conservation department officer.

The other four whales rescued Tuesday are still believed to be at sea, and department officials are monitoring the ocean to verify their safety.

Almost 500 whales have died in five mass beachings over the last five months. The West Australian coast has seen 21 mass whale and dolphin strandings since 1984, according to the department.

The whales tried swimming back to shore shortly after the Tuesday rescue, but conservation officials guided them to deeper waters with the hopes that they would stay out at sea. Scientists cannot explain what draws whales so close to shore.

The whales were stranded Wednesday in a remote location where conservation officials could not transport rescue equipment. At least one of the whales was attacked by sharks, officials said.

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<div class=Truck bomb kills at least 80 in Afghan capital city center
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Truck bomb kills at least 80 in Afghan capital city center

Wednesday, May 31, 2017

In what Afghan president Ashraf Ghani called “a crime against humanity,” earlier this morning, local time, a septic tanker truck filled with explosives detonated not far from the German embassy in Kabul’s Wazir Akbar Khan area, during the city’s morning commute. According to the country’s health ministry, at least 83 bodies have been found and over 450 have been wounded. The ministry’s spokesperson, Ismail Kawasi, said most of the victims were civilians, including children.

It was a car bomb near the German embassy, but there are several other important compounds and offices near there too. It is hard to say what the exact target is

“The attack demonstrates a complete disregard for civilians and reveals the barbaric nature of the enemy faced by the Afghan people,” Ghani said in an official statement. “The terrorists, even in the holy month of Ramadan, the month of goodness, blessing and prayer, are not stopping the killing of our innocent people,” he said. General John W. Nicholson Jr., commander of American and North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces in Afghanistan congratulated city security forces for preventing the truck from coming any closer to important government buildings and embassies.

This attack was unusual, though not unheard of, because of the sheer volume of the bomb involved. According to Kabul’s police chief, General Hassan Shah Frogh, “The blast was so huge that it dug a big crater as deep as four meters” (13 feet) and it damaged buildings as far as one mile (1.2 km) away.

Though an initial report by Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish claimed the site of the detonation as near one of the gates to the Afghan Presidential Palace, it was actually closer to the German embassy, which sustained considerable damage, according to NBC. Germany currently has more than 950 soldiers in Afghanistan as part of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission and helped the Afghan security personnel in their training. “It was a car bomb near the German embassy, but there are several other important compounds and offices near there too. It is hard to say what the exact target is,” said police spokesperson Basir Mujahid.

The Taliban has denied any association with this attack. Western countries have been fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan for about 15 years, including the U.S., Germany, and Britain, but many of these countries withdrew much of their forces before 2015. Since then, the Taliban has come to control about 40% of Afghanistan, per U.S. estimates.

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Combating Crisis   Why Response Protocols Must Be Put In Place}

Combating Crisis Why Response Protocols Must Be Put In Place}

Combating Crisis – Why Response Protocols Must Be Put In Place

by

Akansh

Crisis management is one of the major services that Public Relations consultancies can offer to companies and entities. A crisis can erode at the public perception of a firm or person and transform a positive image into a negative one. They could come in the form of anything a technical breakdown, quality control failure, unsatisfactory customer experiences or reports of unethical practices. In order to combat potential crises effectively, it is necessary to plan and establish response protocols. Here’s why:

To appear to be in charge of the crisis:

The way a firm or entity responds to crises can make or break their ability to bounce back after one. Crisis communication needs to be given due care and diligence. How you respond and what you respond is often the only thing that is actually remembered in the long run. Hence, you should have a strong crisis communication strategy in place. Your communication needs to convey empathy and honesty, detail a plan of action and put the crisis in the context of the larger industry. At the same time, it is necessary that all communication presents a cohesive front. When you have your response protocols in place, you can ensure that there are strict guidelines to be followed when there is a crisis. For example, you can stipulate that all formal and media communication is only sent out after careful deliberation and vetting by you, that employees and other stakeholders are sent out missives the moment a crisis hits detailing the firm’s official stand, etc. When a proper order of things to be done during a crisis is set, it greatly offsets the panic that the crisis brings with it. Everyone knows what to do and the firm or entity can appear to be in charge of the crisis in the public eye.

To actually be in charge of the crisis:

While appearing to be in charge is always essential, the need of the hour during a crisis is of course to actually be in charge of it. Crises need to be controlled in the best way possible, and as a PR consultancy, you need to be the one in control. Having response protocols in place allows you to do just that. Protocols are basically plans of action and when everyone is aware of what they should be doing in an emergency, you remove the risk of thoughtless words and actions. Your crisis communication plan isn’t so much about what you say’ this will differ from crisis to crisis anyway but about how it is said, who is contacted, when it should be said. In our internet-driven age in fact, response protocols help immeasurably. Let’s say for example that you represent a chain of hotels and a customer leaves a bad review of one particular establishment. In fact, being zealous in their unhappiness, they’ve left bad reviews on a number of different review sites. The first human impulse is to forgo all crisis communication training, defend the hotel, make justifications about why the service or amenities were found to be lacking. But if your response protocol demands that you first speak to the manager of the establishment, get to the root of the problem, collect details about that guest’s stay and only then respond, your message tone and content automatically becomes more mature and informed. In fact, you may even be able to solve the problem completely. You will also know exactly what you can offer as compensation in advance. Your entire approach to the crisis can now be cool and collected, instead of impulsive and personal.

Akansh Malik is a reputation management consultant with more than six years of experience in providing crisis communication planning and crisis communication training to clients across the board. An avid blogger who is passionate about public relations, he loves to write about crisis communication strategy.

Article Source:

eArticlesOnline.com

}

<div class=Ontario Votes 2007: Interview with Family Coalition Party candidate Blaise Thompson, St. Paul’s
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Ontario Votes 2007: Interview with Family Coalition Party candidate Blaise Thompson, St. Paul’s

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Blaise Thompson is running for the Family Coalition Party in the Ontario provincial election, in the St. Paul’s riding. Wikinews’ Nick Moreau interviewed him regarding his values, his experience, and his campaign.

Stay tuned for further interviews; every candidate from every party is eligible, and will be contacted. Expect interviews from Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, New Democratic Party members, Ontario Greens, as well as members from the Family Coalition, Freedom, Communist, Libertarian, and Confederation of Regions parties, as well as independents.

Posted in Uncategorized
<div class=German hotels step up boycotts against online travel agency HRS
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German hotels step up boycotts against online travel agency HRS

Thursday, March 15, 2012

A third call for boycott and second boycott hit the German online travel agency Hotel Reservation Service (HRS) this week. After a recent boycott against HRS in Münsterland, a boycott in Bremerhaven was next and is soon to be followed by the next round in Bremerhaven starting in the middle of March.

Hotels in the city of Bremerhaven already have to pay a new “bed tax” to the state of Bremen of 2.14 euro per person per night, whilst HRS is trying to increase their commission payments for its service from thirteen to fifteen percent. Further criticism of HRS focused on a preferential treatment clause that denied hotels the right to offer better prices through any other booking channel. The European umbrella organization of the catering facilities HOTREC had already criticized this type of clause and similar contract clauses in May 2011 in a position paper.

Piet Rothe, hotel owner and second chairman of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA) Bremerhaven, explained that in his hotels the boycott hat not decreased bookings, merely shifted their volume to other channels such as, for instance, booking.com, who would only ask for twelve percent commission.

Rüdiger Magowsky, manager of the boarding house in Jaich, confirmed the observation that the volume of bookings had not decreased. Martin Seiffert, manager of the hotel Haverkamp, explained HRS had denied his hotel access to the system because he participated in the boycott. The access has been restored but he is considering participation in the next round of the boycott anyway.

On February 15 the higher regional court of Düsseldorf had ordered HRS in a preliminary injunction not to enforce its preferential treatment clause. Already on February 10 the German Federal Cartel Office had admonished the company for violating §§ 1 and 20 of the German Act against Restraints of Competition.

Meanwhile Markus Luthe, the CEO of the German International Hotel Association (IHA), recommended establishing a “Hotelwiki” as a yellow pages directory of the hotel industry.

Posted in Uncategorized
Why Do I Need A Motion Detector

Why Do I Need A Motion Detector

By Larry Zolna

When you think of a Motion Detector what does it call up in your mind?

I’ve asked this question of many people and they generally think of a complete, expensive security system that sounds an alarm when someone tries to break in.

Good answer — but not exactly correct because Motion Detectors can do more than that — much more than that at a much more affordable price.

You may not want an expensive security system in your home — the learning curve can be long and confusing and you may have a monthly monitoring expense.

Motion Detectors can be stand-alones and portable. They can be placed anywhere you want to detect motion. They’re not limited to your house. You can use them in your office, warehouse, store, back yard or garage — just about anyplace you want to detect unsuspected motion.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p18qu4Te9j4[/youtube]

OK, just what are some other uses for a Motion Detector? Here are just a few uses that you may not have thought about:

College dorm rooms, Sorority and Fraternity houses — no one needs to tell you, especially in these days, about college campus security. Just mention the tragedy at Virginia Tech and it can bring chills to a parent with a child away at college.

Back doors and rear windows – everyone uses the front door. But putting a door alarm motion detector near the back door would alert you to possible intruders. And don’t forget the back windows, especially on the first floor. Window motion detectors will let you know if someone is trying to get into your house through the window.

Small children or even aged parents who live with you may need to be watched, especially if they wander around the house at night. A Motion Detector at their bedroom door or in the hallway will tell you if they leave their room.

Teenagers sneaking in and out of the house at all hours — you can monitor their activity at night with an alarm that is VERY loud, alerting the whole neighborhood — or you may prefer another Motion Detector that will quietly alert you in your bedroom to any movement in your hallway. You have your choice!

Driveways, sheds and back yards which contain boats, motorcycles, RVs or any other pieces of valuable equipment. Motion Detectors will alert you if someone is near these objects.

Motels and hotel rooms – Motion Detectors are portable and can add extra door protection.

Stores – Motion Detectors can be used to announce people coming into your store. You can also place one near your storeroom, back door or even near your safe or where you keep your valuables.

By the way, did you know that some Motion Detectors will call your cell phone and the police if someone trips the alarm? And, you can set these on silent alarm if you’d like so the cops can catch the creep while he’s still in the house.

Another great safety product, although not a Motion Detector, is a Personal Alarm that is worn on a child’s clothing or wrist that alerts the parent or nanny when the child wanders more than a few feet away, whether on the playground or in a shopping mall.

Don’t be the next victim! A Motion Detector makes it possible for you to know that someone is in your house who shouldn’t be. It gives you a chance to get ready for the intruder. You can prepare and arm yourself with a Stun Baton, Pepper Spray, or even a baseball bat. Now there’s no need to go downstairs at night in your jammies to try and protect your house. You can call the police in plenty of time before the bad guy can get any closer to you or your family.

Don’t become a Crime Statistic!

About the Author: Larry Zolna is a writer for Feel Safe and Secure, a seller of Home Security and Self Protection products as well as Wireless Hidden Cameras. Don’t Be the Next Victim! For more information on these products, please visit:

feelsafeandsecure.com

Source:

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<div class=Last British volume car manufacturer closes down
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Last British volume car manufacturer closes down

Friday, April 15, 2005

The last British-owned volume car manufacturer, MG Rover, has closed down, with the loss of 5,000 jobs.

International accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCooper was brought in last week to put the company into administration. Today PwC announced that MG Rover’s only hope, the Chinese car company SAIC, had no interest in buying the ailing firm. With no further source of revenue, PwC has closed the company’s factory in Longbridge, Birmingham and has laid off 5,000 workers.

Some 1,000 workers will continue for a while to complete the remaining cars left on the production line.

The BBC reported PwC joint administrator Tony Lomas as saying “We’ll explore what we would describe as the break-up of the business, we will carry on with the interested parties who want to talk about pieces of the business.”. PwC said around 70 offers for various parts of the company had been made but no serious offers of money made.

Recent efforts to save the company had been centered on convincing SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.) to buy the company as a going concern, but the Chinese company stated it would only buy the company if it’s financial position could be guaranteed to be secure for at least two years. The British government could not make such a commitment due to European Union trade and competition rules.

The SAIC company did buy the designs for the 75 and 25 models and for the K-Series engines for £67m.

The Rover car company has a long but troubled history. It was formed in 1968 after a series of mergers of existing car manufacturers, and was nationalized in 1975 after it ran into financial difficulties. In 1979 a long-running deal to collaborate on developing new vehicles was established with the Japanese company Honda. In 1988 the company was privatized and was bought by British Aerospace. In 1994 British Aerospace sold the business to BMW, who then sold the Land Rover brand to Ford and finally sold the company in 2000 for just £10, retaining the well-known Mini brand for themselves. The MG Rover company was run by a private group until its collapse.

MG Rover has not launched a new model since the 75 was introduced in 1998 during the period of ownership by BMW. Their next newest model was the 25, originally launched as the 200 series some ten years ago. Rover also produced the 45, which dates from 1990, and the ZF sports car first launched in 1995. Sales of Rover cars accounted for just 3% of the UK car market in 2004.

Tony Blair announced a £150 million support package for the recently unemployed workers of the MG Rover plants, though it has been claimed that his generous offer may be more as a result of the nearby marginal seats in the upcoming elections than compassion on his part.

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