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mithered
all the springs of conducting human nature
Dec 3, 2004 14:42
20 yrs ago
28 viewers *
English term

Apartment vs. Suite

English Marketing Tourism & Travel - accommodation
Could someone please explain the differences between an apartment and a suite as applied to hotel accommodation? Thank you!
Responses
3 +6 difference
4 +3 kitchen
5 +2 it's mostly marketing talk
4 +2 apartment might be bigger
3 +3 I agree with everybody
5 +1 extended stay complete lodging (may be unfurnished) v. short-stay compact lodging (furnished)

Discussion

IrinaGM Dec 10, 2004:
I agree with Rita ;-) sometimes, when I run into the same situation, I take the answerers' times into consideration. Sometimes answerers tend to repeat the same things that had already been answered by someone else.
RHELLER Dec 10, 2004:
just pick the one which has enlightened you the most :-)Who said "the journey is the answer, not the destination."?
Non-ProZ.com Dec 10, 2004:
I don't know how to grade this. I guess the question was too broad to make for a one clear and simple answer. I'm not even sure that any one answer is more correct than the others.
Non-ProZ.com Dec 6, 2004:
Sorry for the silence guys.
I wouldn't be so sure, Alexander. The more I see of these things the more I tend to prefer the most generic translation. I really cannot be sure which it is -- hotel or resort-type accommodation. I know it's not nice of me, and I'm sorry -- my context is really scarce.
Alexander Demyanov Dec 3, 2004:
Well, given the context, we can stop guessing what the differences could be: suites here are hotel suites, apartments - apartments in apt buildings.
Non-ProZ.com Dec 3, 2004:
Sounds good to me, Alex.
Alexander Demyanov Dec 3, 2004:
What your list of options suggests is that it's not really a hotel but rather a resort with a variety of accomodations under one management. Your 7-bdrm apts are most likely real apartments, just rented for temporary stay.
Non-ProZ.com Dec 3, 2004:
Actually these are more likely to be vacation-type accommodations.
Non-ProZ.com Dec 3, 2004:
You see, if I were going there I would, too :=]
IrinaGM Dec 3, 2004:
In this case, I would contact the hotel directly to inquire about the different amenities that each of these units have. It really varies from one hotel chain to another.
seaMount Dec 3, 2004:
Maybe is having a seperate personal entrance to the accomodation (or not) differentiating? Or having seperate closable rooms? Glad you didn't ask about the difference between a parlor and a room ~
Non-ProZ.com Dec 3, 2004:
Hey Rita. Well, the fine print is really fine this time -- there is none.
I would assume the U.S. but it could be any place.

Here's the list of options (in an arbitrary order, for all I can see):

DELUXE
DELUXE SUITE W/BALCONY
DELUXE CORNER RM/KNG BD
DLX HOSPITALITY STE
DELUXE JUNIOR SUITE
SUPERIOR KING VILLA
ALII TOWER OCEAN FRONT
ALII TOWER OCEAN VIEW
ALII TOWER LIMITD VIEW
ALII TOWER GARDEN VIEW
DELUXE PARLOR ROOM
APARTMENT
APARTMENT
1 BEDROOM APARTMENT
2 BEDROOM APARTMENT
3 BEDROOM APARTMENT
4 BEDROOM APARTMENT
5 BEDROOM APARTMENT
6 BEDROOM APARTMENT
7 BEDROOM APARTMENT
DELUXE RUN OF HOUSE
DLX PARLOR W/SOFABED
NS LRG KNG STE/KITCH
STUDIO BUNG-PVT POOL
DELUXE STUDIO
RHELLER Dec 3, 2004:
which country? usually the label doesn't mean much; must read the fine print:-)

Responses

+6
47 mins
Selected

difference

They are different in that the suite is a 2-room deluxe unit (notice balcony option), a roomier, not squeezed-in unit for 1-2 people. The apts usually target families (probably include kitchenette) or for longer stays. I have never heard of a hotel that had a 7-bedroom apt! WOW! this is not your typical lodging.

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Note added at 1 hr 12 mins (2004-12-03 15:55:52 GMT)
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I just did a google search which showed that the terms are used interchangeably.

contact me for more details (I have stayed in several of these options); the nuances can be tiny.
Peer comment(s):
agree awilliams : true - nuances are tiny!
1 hr
Hi AW!
agree vankovak
2 hrs
thanks Vankovak!
agree humbird
11 hrs
good slogan humbird!
agree Saleh Chowdhury, Ph.D.
12 hrs
Hi Saleh!
agree Syeda Tanbira Zaman
18 hrs
thanks Syeda :-)
agree Asghar Bhatti
20 hrs
Hello Asghar!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Graded automatically based on peer agreement."
+3
5 mins

kitchen

I think the essential difference is the kitchen: an apartment has one, a suite does not.
Reference:

http://www.monroecollege.edu/current_students/reslife_faq.html

Peer comment(s):
neutral IrinaGM : I have stayed in suites that have kitchens. For example, check out the Homewood Suites, Embassy suites, etc.
2 mins
you're right
agree Johanne Bouthillier
5 mins
neutral Alexander Demyanov : Suites may have kitchens
7 mins
... and apartments always have a kitchen(ette)?
agree trautlady : I agree. the size has not much to do with it, there are large suites and there are small apartments. A suite has most of the time a small fridge and maybe a coffee maker.
8 hrs
thank you mi lady
agree Irene N : Embassy suites etc. is a proper name and not the accomodation category. I agree - the difference is the kitchen.
1 day 6 hrs
Irene, thanks, awaiting your additional comment
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+2
1 min

apartment might be bigger

suite is usually two rooms with one or two bathrooms, apartments might be bigger.

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Note added at 7 mins (2004-12-03 14:50:01 GMT)
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Apartments are \"usually\" cheaper than suites. Apartments are intended for a longer stay than suites are.
Peer comment(s):
agree awilliams : an apartment may have cooking and dining facilities where a suite doesn't. It all depends on the hotel, really.
2 mins
I agree. Although I've stayed in suites that have kitchen amenities as well.
agree conejo : In my mind, the main difference is that apartments are usually sold as accommodations by the week or longer, while suites can be rented by the night. Apartments may or may not be bigger than suites, and may or may not have kitchens
42 mins
I agree. Also, in my experience, the suites have daily room service where the apartments have weekly service or no room service at all.
Something went wrong...
+2
17 mins

it's mostly marketing talk

Rita is correct: it's what the owners choose to call it.

However, sometimes a suite may be just a 2-room unit, without a kitchen but with a front/dining room to entertain guests.

Apartments in a hotel (usually in an "extended stay" hotel) will always have a kitchen or at least a "kitchenette"
Peer comment(s):
agree Martine Brault : I have stayed in "suites" with 2 bedrooms and a living room but no kitchen or dining area, and others that had a small kitchen/dining area. Appartments always have a kitchen.
39 mins
Thank you.
agree awilliams
1 hr
Thank you.
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+3
4 hrs

I agree with everybody

I think you can summarize it as follows.

A suite tends to have two rooms, a bedroom and a, for want of a better word, lounge room.

An apartment tends to have more rooms, say two bedrooms, a lounge romm and a kitchen.

A suite is usually serviced every day; an apartment may be serviced say twice a week.

An apartment is gnerally intended for more people and for longer stays than a suite.

And so on.

But, as has already been pointed out, it all depends on what the owner or operator decides to call them.
Peer comment(s):
agree KathyT
3 hrs
agree Saleh Chowdhury, Ph.D.
9 hrs
agree tappi_k
13 hrs
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+1
2 hrs

extended stay complete lodging (may be unfurnished) v. short-stay compact lodging (furnished)

There are several distinctions IN GENERAL:

--An apartment may be furnished or unfurnished and tends to be offered under lease for extended stay. It usually comprises a complete set or rooms equivalent to what you will find in a house (1-3 bedrooms, 1-3 bathrooms, living, dining, kitchen, laundry, storage).

--A suite is always furnished and is offered for shorter stays. It is compact: a junior suite has a bedroom/bath separate from what is usually an open plan living area that has kitchen, dining, living (usually with a sleep-sofa); a full suite may divide the living area into additional rooms and include a half bath.

THE EXCEPTIONS are that in competition for the extended stay market, apartment owners are offering studio/efficiencies (all in one room) or small apartments on a short-term basis, and hotels are offering "all-suite" hotels that are effectively blocks small apartments (but furnished apartments with hotel amenities).

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Note added at 2 hrs 3 mins (2004-12-03 16:45:56 GMT)
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I have seen huge (7 rooms and more) all-on-one-floor apartments in major US, European and Latin American cities. These would never be called suites.

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Note added at 2 hrs 4 mins (2004-12-03 16:47:07 GMT)
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The distinctions become vague in the States but in Europe and Latin America, the term \"apartotel\" tries to address the middle ground where this confusion lies.

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Note added at 2 hrs 9 mins (2004-12-03 16:52:13 GMT)
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Here is how one French agency distinguishes:
http://www.discoverfrance.net/Boutique/Travel/Apartments/ind...
http://www.discoverfrance.net/Boutique/Travel/Hotels/suites_...
For them, the distinction is in the floorplan (multiple rooms versus a divided room) and the furnishings (complete versus survival fare).

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Note added at 2 days 22 hrs 14 mins (2004-12-06 12:57:13 GMT)
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A suite may or may not have a kitchenette, but it doesn\'t have private laundry facilities, which an apartment may.

It sounds like all of your list could be options available from a short-term housing broker or from a very large developer (like Disney) who has a little bit of everything for everyone on its properties.

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Note added at 2 days 22 hrs 16 mins (2004-12-06 12:59:27 GMT)
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In any case, you can surely rely on the distinction that the apartment will be larger and more completely furnished than the suite if all of the apartments are furnished. The suites will always be furnished whereas the apartments may be unfurnished if there are any such in the company\'s offer (which it sounds like there aren\'t in this case, because you say it is all resort housing or vacation rentals, as I understand you.
Peer comment(s):
agree Saleh Chowdhury, Ph.D.
11 hrs
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