Choosing The Right Apartment

How to tell a quality serviced apartment from a sub-standard one.

I often get calls from people who haggle over prices. They tell me of dirt-cheap offers in posh areas, trying to negotiate a cheaper deal at Dreamhome. But we at Dreamhome do not believe in negotiations that will in turn compromise the quality of service offered. Some may take offence, but I firmly believe that "if you throw peanuts, you get monkeys"!

I have had a first-hand look at companies offering cheap deals. Most of them put together mismatched, cast-off furniture that are on their last legs with shabby linen and furnishings. That's definitely not the case with Dreamhome, as my clients will vouch for.

In fact, I have had clients who have come to Dreamhome after a horror stay at some of these cheap apartments. The list of complaints have ranged from bed bugs, unclean smelly bedsheets, small matchbox-like rooms where you get down from the bed and enter the equally tiny loo, bad service, etc.

Dreamhome specialises in exclusivity. Most of our apartments are exclusive serviced apartments, where there is no intrusion on the guests' privacy. Even a 3 bedroom Serviced apartment which is preferred by corporates and budget travellers, is completely self contained with television, digital cable connection, Wi-Fi, wardrobes, beds with comfort mattresses, dressing tables, electric kettles etc. which takes car of all the guests needs. Breakfast, lunch and dinner is also served at the apartment to make the guest feel completely at home. 

Guests also have the privilege of cooking their own meals, if they so desire. Recently, we hosted a Masterchef contestant at one of our properties, and she would cook up a storm every day that she stayed.

Thus, Dreamhome clearly has an edge over hotels in this regard.

Never Say No

You may call it bravado on my part but I usually try to give my clients exactly what they want. I learnt this from my first boss in Dubai who used to say that we can never say no to a client. If we don't have something that he/she wants, we can always create it for them. So this was the guiding principle when I got a call from a multinational company. They wanted an apartment for an expatriate employee for a period of six months, but in a part of the city where I did not have any property. Never one to say no, I said I would create a guest house for them. Accordingly, I set about scouting for a suitable apartment. And I found it in a day!

I spoke to the owner who was a nice, affable man. He seemed happy with the rent offered and said I could get the apartment by the end of the month, which was just a week from that day. I conveyed the news to the company which was in a bit of a hurry. But in a couple of days, everything turned topsy-turvy. The flat owner said his family (they were Jains) does not want to shift elsewhere, so the deal will have to be cancelled. I was stunned. This was a question of Dreamhome's credibility. Against all odds, I tried to salvage the situation. Requesting a personal meeting, I went over to meet the family and convinced them that their flat would be well taken care of. They agreed!!!!! And guess what? They were one of the best landlords Dreamhome has ever worked with.