Aparthotel vs hotel: which suits your trip?
An aparthotel sits between a hotel and a holiday rental. You get an apartment — usually with a kitchen or kitchenette and a separate living area — in a building run like a hotel, often with a front desk and housekeeping. A hotel gives you a room and relies on its restaurant, bar and room service for everything else.
Which one is better depends on how long you are staying, who you are travelling with and how you like to eat. This guide walks through the trade-offs, using figures from the aparthotels we list.
The kitchen changes everything
The biggest practical difference is food. In a hotel, every meal is bought out or ordered in. In an aparthotel you can make breakfast at your own pace, keep snacks for children and cook a simple dinner after a long day.
Of the 31177 aparthotels in our catalogue, 56% list a full kitchen in at least one apartment type and a further 19% a kitchenette, 23% have an in-apartment washing machine and 14% list a laptop-friendly workspace. Where room sizes are published, the median apartment is 42 m².
A kitchenette usually means a hob or microwave, a small fridge and a kettle; a full kitchen adds an oven, more worktop space and often a dishwasher. Each property page on aparthotel.com lists exactly which appliances the apartments have.
Space and privacy
Apartments tend to separate sleeping and living space, so one person can work or watch TV while another sleeps. For families and small groups this is often the deciding factor: one apartment can replace two hotel rooms.
Cities with the widest choice in our catalogue include Istanbul (413), Ho Chi Minh City (342), Gold Coast (218), Manila (240) and Hanoi (209).
Service: what you gain and lose
Hotels usually offer daily cleaning, a restaurant and round-the-clock staff. Aparthotels vary: some have a front desk staffed around the clock and daily housekeeping, others offer weekly cleaning and self check-in. If service matters to you, check the facts box on the property page before you book — we show "Not specified" when a property does not say.
Branded aparthotels such as Residence Inn, Limehome, Homewood Suites, Home2 Suites and Numa publish their service standards, which makes them easier to compare.
Price
Across 4423 aparthotels we priced recently (2 adults, 2 nights, about two weeks ahead), the median "from" price was €154 per night. Whether that beats a hotel depends on the city and on how many meals you would otherwise buy.
Some aparthotels price longer stays more attractively per night, so it is worth checking your full date range in the search box rather than a single night.
Quick verdict
Choose a hotel for a short city break where you plan to eat out and want full service. Choose an aparthotel when you are staying longer, travelling with family, working remotely or simply want to cook.
- 1–2 nights, eating out, want room service → hotel
- 3+ nights, family or group → aparthotel
- Work trip of a week or more → aparthotel with a workspace and washing machine
Examples with a full kitchen
A few well-equipped options: Residence Inn by Marriott Nashua in Nashua and Dao by Dorsett West London in London.
Frequently asked questions
Is an aparthotel cheaper than a hotel?
Not always per night, but often overall: cooking some meals and sharing one apartment can cost less than eating out and booking two rooms.
Do aparthotels have daily cleaning?
Some do and some don't. Each property page lists the housekeeping the property offers, or says it isn't specified.
Can I stay in an aparthotel for one night?
Usually yes. If a property has a minimum stay, it simply won't show availability for shorter dates when you search.
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