If you were traveling on business and needed to stay in a new city for 30, 60 or 90 days, would you rather stay in a 300-square-foot hotel room or a fully furnished luxury apartment?
For Patrick Flynn, founder and chief executive officer of Northeast Suites, the answer is obvious: The fully furnished apartment gives business travelers and their families more living space, a complete kitchen and a home base that feels like a real home. And for businesses? The luxury apartment makes sense, too. Not only will their employees be happier, companies will spend less housing their workers in apartment suites than they will in pricy hotel rooms.
These truths have paid off for Northeast Suites, a company headquartered in Stoneham, Mass., that provides corporate housing across the United States. When companies need to move their employers to long-term assignments in new cities, they can call Northeast Suites. Staffers here will tap the arrangements they’ve formed with property managers to find these employees furnished, high-quality apartments.
Now Northeast Suites has moved into the Twin Cities, providing furnished apartments to business travelers staying in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area for extended periods.
“The Twin Cities is a great market,” said Brenda Thoeny-Johnson, national account executive with Northeast. “There are many corporations that call Minneapolis/St. Paul home for their headquarters. And now so many companies in the area are growing rapidly. Even though the economy hasn’t fully rebounded, these companies are hiring.”
Thoeny-Johnson pointed to companies such as Wells Fargo, United Healthcare and General Mills as examples of the Twin Cities’ strong corporate base. And these companies are indicative of the kind that would need Northeast Suites’ services.
“A lot of the employees whom we find housing for are traveling with large families,” Flynn said. “A 300-square-foot hotel will limit them. They need a full kitchen, which are suites provide. They don’t have to go out to eat every night and expense those meals to their employers. That’s an expense that can add up for companies over time.”
Thoeney-Johnson is now actively forming relationships with Twin Cities companies and property managers to locate high-end suites.
Thoeney-Johnson said that the Twin Cities is blessed with some truly high-quality apartment units today. She pointed to the new Pioneer Endicott apartments in downtown St. Paul as an example.
“This is our business. We need to be aware of all the luxury properties that are online,” Thoeney-Johnson said. “We make it our business to know what apartment communities are out there. We are touch with property-management groups continuously, so we always know what is coming online.”
The apartments that Northeast Suites offer are available for stays as short as 30 days. They come with cable, phone, Internet and utilities.
“We provide the whole deal,” Flynn said. “People can stay in these units comfortably for extended periods of time.”
