Living The Suite Life
Maybe we’re a tad bias, but living in a hotel is easier than you think. With servicing at your fingertips, hotel facilities at your doorstep and an easy city location, we’ve always been adamant there are plenty of perks to be had for a short or long term stay with our Residences program.
We figure you don’t have to take our word for it. So instead we spoke to one of our in-house Residents at The Olsen, Ruth Davidson, to get an insiders opinion on what life in a hotel actually looks like.
Ruth isn’t just anyone either, as a strategic management consultant in tourism, entertainment and cultural sectors she’s kindof a guru on what makes an experience special. Not only that, but she spends half her time in New York and wherever else her projects take her; making her quite the connoisseur when it comes to setting up new homes over the world.
First stepping inside our doors as a place to stay whilst working on a campaign for Cabrini Health, Ruth has stuck around for a few months more, making the most of a Melbourne experience both inside and beyond the hotel.
I love the idea of the Residences program, it’s something rarely done in Australia and it’s been great.
“I love the idea of the Residences program, it’s something rarely done in Australia and it’s been great,” says Ruth, highlighting her experience with similar programs when she works in New York. “Culturally there are some differences, but the service here is Australia is better; I’ve felt very cared for by everyone”.
Being a part of the hotel extends beyond just the digs though, and Ruth notes how the Residences program has provided something of a ‘home away from home’ for the native Queenslander and sometime-New Yorker. “There’s a real community element here: When people are staying in a city that isn’t their home city for the long term, it’s nice to be able to wander down to the front desk and have a chat, to be familiar with the staff and everyone. Even if you’re a quieter sort, it’s nice knowing people care.”
Having lived in the studio-style apartments New York is known for, Ruth admits her worldview is adjusted, but she finds her suite well laid-out and with space for everything. Her routine has certainly changed from NYC though, as she mentions with the restaurant downstairs she’s taking far more meetings at the hotel, and when friends and family visit, it’s easy to put them up in a central location. “The rooms are quite surprising, how you can live in a suite”, says Ruth. “All the fittings have been thought-through to how to maximise the space.”
At the end of the day, Ruth says the Residents program is a great fit for her both economically and socially. “The whole idea of having a Residents program, where you can use your own kitchen and own facilities, it’s actually more economical than if you were renting a short-term apartment independently, and needed to buy all the products and furniture to fill that space with. But I also enjoy the program for its family, this is my family while I’m here, just like New York.”
You’ve got the lowdown, now get the sign up. If you’re keen to become a Resident, our Winter Incentive runs until the end of August, offering up your choice of a free Fitbit, a $250 Visa prepaid card or $300 hotel credit. Whatever you chose, the rates from $625 a week are an incentive in themselves.