Corporate Housing: the Easter Egg of Hospitality

If you have ever heard the expression “Easter egg” in reference to a movie, you might be curious or confused. Beside the traditional colored and pastel poultry eggs associated with the religious celebrations of the spring season, “Easter eggs” is a term used to describe messages or particular references deliberately hidden throughout the movie that the usual movie-goer often fails to notice – but they are always there.

I like to think that corporate furnished housing is a bit of an “Easter egg” – relative to hospitality options for travelers. 

In the United States, going back to the industrial expansion of the late nineteenth century, companies introduced housing to support workers, retain talent and control workforce development. Following the era of the Great Depression, where there were social and philanthropic underpinnings to the strategy, many workers went on to object to the corporate oversight and the construct fell out of favor, leaving “ghost towns” of vacant worker housing scattered across the country.

In more recent history 

Temporary furnished housing was introduced to support the diverse needs of the business traveler, who was required to span geographies and who sought a more residential experience over the transient suit case-based lifestyle. And as concept of the nuclear family morphed with the number of working women and two-partner income households in the past century, the practice of “business travel” also evolved to include the “trailing spouse,” children and the extended business/leisure (aka “leisure”) trip – all requiring a bit more space, common household amenities and comforts of “home.”

In January, the market research development company, Statista, reported that the market size of the hotel and resort sector worldwide peaked at 1.52 trillion U.S. dollars in 2019. As a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the market size dropped below one trillion in 2020 and 2021. In 2023, the market forecast is 1.21 trillion U.S. dollars! It is difficult to confirm if this data incorporates the temporary furnished housing market. Because, although “always there” – corporate housing is somehow still regularly overlooked.

Find your “easter egg!”

Become familiar with corporate or temporary furnished housing! Beside the annual increase in travel anticipated each Spring, and the general return-to-travel policies noted in our post-Covid era, this is the time of year to gather friends and family for spring holidays, graduations, weddings, showers and birthdays. What better way to ensure the comfort of all than with a fully-furnished apartment, townhome, condo or home – with a fully equipped kitchen and a washer dryer at one’s disposal! Nothing says “Special” better than a stress-free get-away that rallies family and friends for that memorable occasion.

Corporate housing “Easter eggs” are scattered throughout cities – globally!  Available in all sizes, shapes, colors and flavors – It’s time to gather what is “always there” and relish the experience!

Safe travels and Happy Holidays to All!