The number of British holidaymakers opting to join the staycation trend this year is on the rise, coinciding with an expected surge in overseas tourists taking advantage of the weak pound. Luxury London serviced apartment specialist Cheval Residences, which currently holds the top three places on TripAdvisor in the category of ‘Speciality Lodging’ within London, is offering guests the perfect home from home to enjoy the Great British Summer.
Visit Britain figures show that the upcoming increase in domestic tourism follows a very strong first quarter with The Great Britain Tourism Survey highlighting that London received 2.8 million visitors between January and March 2016, who spent £657 million and occupied 6.5million bed nights – an increase of 27% on the same period in 2015.
According to London & Partners, London keeps setting new tourism records with 31.5 million Great Britain residents and international tourists visiting the city in 2015 – an increase of 20% when compared to five years ago.
Furthermore, according to data specialists STR, serviced apartments are proving the most popular accommodation choice with higher occupancy rates than hotels across the UK year to date. In the UK, serviced apartments had a significantly higher ADR for year to date at £132.04 compared with £83.31. The growing demand and sophisticated consumer understanding of serviced apartments is set to fuel growth over the coming year. At the forefront of this demand, Cheval Residences is offering guests an increased choice with the implementation of sofa beds at Cheval Phoenix House, tucked behind Sloane Square, and the opportunity to live the ‘designer lifestyle’ at Cheval Three Quays at the Tower of London.
Cheval Residences has embarked on a year-long partnership with Designers at Debenhams, launched with Ben de Lisi in March and followed by Matthew Williamson in June. Changing four times per year, this partnership will see further designers dress an apartment in their own inimitable style including Abigail Ahern, Julien Macdonald and John Rocha. Each guest will receive a luxury food hamper on arrival and a gift on departure plus exclusive luxury beauty treats and restaurant vouchers to be redeemed in the Debenhams Oxford Street Store.
Totally Thames 2016, a season of 150 unmissable events which bring London’s river to life throughout the month of September, offers an exciting programme of arts, cultural, archaeological and river events. Floating Dreams is a major London installation by Ik-Joong Kang, one of South Korea’s most renowned and celebrated multimedia artists, and will take the form of a compelling, large-scale installation situated in the centre of the Thames by Millennium Bridge. Fluxland, an immersive artwork by French artist Cyril de Commarque, will navigate along the Thames on a series of journeys over the course of the month, welcoming the public on board and becoming a space for debate.