Humanity’s wobbling unsteadily into the second decade of 21st century and whilst the flow of people and information is getting cheaper and cheaper, the declining middle class is getting poorer and poorer. One thing is certain: the world is much more accessible to an average mortal than it used to be 30 years ago. As people get to travel more, renting a home to random passers-by has became a neat business opportunity and a way to patch dwindling budgets. Nowadays, most of the developed world, tends to address the established service providers like Booking, AirB’n’B or VRBO. These companies have already become major brands and earned the trust of the monetary fortunate inhabitants of Earth. Which is fine, since the review system they’re based on, instills some security into potential guests.
However, if somebody decides to seek these services on a more local level, and thus help the local economy even more, they may be in for a bundle of (un)pleasant surprises. For starters, the price is actually lower. But, what then? Should the price always be a prevailing factor? Anyone who has travelled a bit is aware that certain risks are inherent to ways the businesses are done locally – especially if the whole country is dodgy. As we happen to be a service provider on a local scale, in a dodgy country, we would like to introduce those seeking apartment accommodation in Belgrade into a couple of thingies that may seem odd at first – but should be known in order to avoid discomfort (in an otherwise decent industry and, on the whole, a hospitable country). So if you are a first time looker for Belgrade apartments, on a local level, here’s a few things to be borne in mind. Always check the full cost of your stay beforehand.
ADVICE NUMERO UNO : Price lists
The price may have well been the thing that has lured you into seeking the apartment locally in the first place, but is in many a case the first stumbling point. Why? Well, the price attached to the apartment that you get to see first, is the cost per night provided that you stay at least 5 nights. This will most certainly cause the those cheeky foreigners attitude for the prospective one nighters, as one night is almost certainly a couple euros more expensive than the stated (or as one might perceive it from thereon Hooking) price. On the other hand, however, the price gets progressively lower proportionally to the increase of the length of your stay, so in the end it may become a factor of a pleasant surprise. That is unless you are used to haggling, because you might box up a discount anyway…but more on that later.
Yet another slightly annoying thing that might occur (although it will never happen to you in RENTASTAN) is when you’re booking larger apartments. With many, the price depends on the number of guests. As the apartments are serviced once a week, in those that accommodate more than 5 adults the cost of your stay literally doubles from the stated price at full capacity. So, if you’re looking for a large apartment, make sure to check whether the price is charged per person.
ADVICE NUMBER TWO : Is what you see is what you get?
Photoshop is a great thing when you get to certain age (and state) but it’s a fairly abusable tool when it comes to online accommodation booking. Although good quality photos are in most cases the result of good quality equipment, extreme quality may be a sign of underlying ropiness. In order to avoid busting your brains on whether the photos represent somebody’s graphic design skills or the real deal, be sure to check out the short video of the premises. Ok, Serbia is a country where first world talents get a third world salary, but the likeliness of having an FX specialist within a short term rental agency is reduced to the chances of ever tasting a tomato flavoured cotton candy. So, if there is a video footage of the apartment in Belgrade you are looking for, there is 99,91% chance it’s legit. However, there a catch with that one as well. One thing you won’t see in the footage is the building’s entrance (and in this respect even google street view is of little help). This detail, can in some cases be the major factor of spoiling your stay, especially if you come to Belgrade on business and have frequent walk-ins and walk-outs. Serious service providers will deliver this info on their website without much wriggling.
ADVICE THREE: BOOKING FOR SHORT TERM WELL IN ADVANCE…?
There are certain aspects of the hospitality business in which Belgrade serviced apartments will never beat hotels – and this is one of them. If you’re as lucky as a leprechaun it may just happen that your five-month-in-advance-one-day-reservation does indeed follow on from an even unlikelier longer one, and you will be served with smiles and cheers. If however, you belong to the vast majority of the human race, our advice is not not to waste too much time looking for Mr Right Apartment for that single night. The reason simple and somewhat ugly. Although apartment owners happen to be just ordinary folks whose primary source of income does not come from vacation rentals, they do share that nasty (and unfortunately) logical habit of trying to have their apartments as fully booked as possible. That also means that they’ll rarely refrain themselves from accepting your reservation and then non-challatly decline it in the period close to your arrival should they receive a longer reservation in the meantime (leaving the agency to do the apologising and provision of alternative accommodation). As unfair as it may sound, it happens and you should be aware of it. There is, however, an upside of such an occurence – you might easily end up with a far better accommodation from the one you have previously booked at the same time, but to stay on the safe side you should not count on this. There is a bunch of agencies out there and there are no guarantees that every single one of them will do so.
Therefore, whomever you decide to do the booking with, there is a simple rule to adhere to when it comes to short stays well in advance : look for the apartment just a little bit before your arrival. It will save a lot of time that you might otherwise spend in endless searches (that is if you don’t enjoy them) and the booking operators (if they have the slightest grain of good intentions) will help you in your quest of finding the best apartment at the lowest possible price. What is more, you can haggle! Yes. Common sense of any business owner is that they’d rather have you at half price in the apartment, than no one.
ADVICE QUATTRO: AM I REALLY THAT FIT?
This is the most common oversight of those who seek an apartment and happen to be in full strength, as strength becomes relative if you don’t travel light. Majority looks for city center accommodation – where most of the apartment buildings originate from the first half of the previous century. even those taller than six storeys are sometimes elevatorless. In case of RENTASTAN, a helping pair of strong hands will always be there to help you up – we’ve got a dedicated and exquisitely kind team at your disposal. However, your hosts might not be as warm elsewhere, even if you emphasize the fact. Hence, check the floor and presence of elevators 🙂
Aaaand, that’s it! Should you be so brave to help the local economy to a fuller extent, put these on your check list of expectations and you may just end up with a great accommodation in Belgrade at a wallet friendly price.
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