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What it’s like to stay the ESA way
Often the best way to understand the advantages of an ESA apartment is to share the experience of similar companies which have followed the path you are planning.
Air Products
Air Products is a world leading industrial gases company headquartered in Pennsylvania. In 2013 it arrived on our doorstep in the person of Robert Piner, Commissioning Manager for an advanced plasma gasification energy-from-waste facility about to be built north of the Tees.
Delighted with the month’s accommodation we provided in Yarm, close to great shopping, tempting eating places and welcoming pubs, he was quickly followed by two key team members who made themselves at home with ESA.
Before the year’s end the number grew to a dozen on 6 or 12 month contracts. During 2014 we added ten more apartments. As one engineer completed an assignment, his place would be taken in the Air Products “village” by another from the USA, Holland, China, Canada – often at short notice, sometimes with family.
To keep this fast-changing scene running smoothly, ESA’s Katrina Rosser met the company’s two project coordinators regularly, and was on hand 24/7 to respond to requests.
“The apartments are located in the heart of Yarm, with easy access to local restaurants, pubs and shopping, yet surprisingly secluded, affording privacy and solitude if desired. The apartments are clean and nicely furnished, and all members of staff are professional, cooperative and hospitable.”
Robert Piner, Commissioning Manager, Air Products & Chemicals
Tecnicas Reunidas
As soon as the starting signal was given in July 2016 for construction of the world’s largest biomass fuelled power station in Teesport, the Madrid based contractors Tecnicas Reunidas began to mobilise key people.
“Having once spent 10 months in a hotel on an assignment,” says Michelle Hodgkinson, Project Support, “I wanted a better experience for these high level managers. The question was, could suitable serviced apartments be found in time?”
She turned to ESA. Katrina Rosser responded by organising apartments close together in Yarm for eight executives from Spain and one from Portugal. The last member of the advance party gave notice of arrival from Pakistan on 29th December. By New Year’s Day he was opening his welcome hamper in Yarm.
“They love it,” says Michelle. “They think the apartments are gorgeous. They feel relaxed. They can cook when they want, bring their wives. It’s like a Spanish community.”
The company’s need is ongoing. As construction advances, more specialists will arrive, building up to around 22 people, all of them living in a lively country town just half an hour’s drive from the industrial site where this innovative, environmentally friendly plant has begun to arise.
“Katrina has been absolutely fabulous, really professional, hard working and friendly. Everyone wants to be here. It’s a home from home.” Michelle Hodgkinson, Project Support, Tecnicas Reunidas.
Able UK
When a towering offshore drilling platform docks for major upgrade or refurbishment at Able Seaton Port, Hartlepool, the pressure is on. The rigs belong to global enterprises who bring in specialists to carry out the work to exacting timetables in rigorous conditions.
“When they’re away from site they need an environment where they can relax from the pressures,” says Paul Connally of Able UK, the Port owners. “We want our clients’ people to live a normal life, and that’s exactly what ESA enables them to do – in style. They’d go crazy in a hotel”
Over the past four years, again and again, he’ll inform Katrina Rosser that the project team are being mobilised from America and around the world. Often he can give just one or two weeks’ notice of their arrival. As many as 15 or 16 people may need serviced apartments at any one time. The record so far is 20.
“Katrina is very accessible and responsive; she knows our needs” says Paul. “The apartments are very high quality. And just as important they’re in high quality locations where people can expect peace and quiet. “
That’s what awaits just minutes away at Hartlepool Marina. Two bedroomed apartments can accommodate two people comfortably – and economically, too, since charges are per apartment, not per person. For extra flexibility, ESA can offer Elite apartments for managers and Essential for engineers carrying out the work.
“We want our clients’ people to live a normal life, and that’s exactly what ESA enables them to do – in style. They’d go crazy in a hotel”. Paul Connally, Project Manager, Able UK.
Meet the Team
At the heart of ESA is a tight-knit team who have been working together and forged a bond of trust since its foundation over eight years ago. They are at the centre of a network of other providers – caterers, laundry companies, cleaners, builders, gardeners and professional advisors – who can be called in to supplement the team’s core skills.
Katrina
Owner
Katrina is all about action. Talk to her about your accommodation needs. You can be confident they’re as good as satisfied – in every detail. As you’d expect from the owner!
Katrina Rosser’s background gives her a special insight into the standards expected by the executives, managers and operational staff who make ESA apartments their home while working away in the Tees Valley. She learned to meet the standards of global corporations when she trained their personnel in offshore survival at an international rescue centre between 1993 and 1998. Later, as a close protection officer to royalty, celebrities and CEO’s in the UK and Europe, she experienced the meaning of real luxury in hotels and apartments.
In 2006 she became a property developer, overseeing the design, construction, fitting and furnishing of 27 apartments on Teesside – the original core of her ESA business which now extends to Yarm, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool Marina. For leisure, surfing & snowboarding.
Favourite location: Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Top tip: Don’t hesitate to ask the impossible.
Administration
Think of Katrina as your partner. She will mobilise the accommodation side of your
project in all aspects – responding to your first enquiry; planning the location,
quantity and type of serviced apartment; meeting new residents and showing them
around; overseeing maintenance and housekeeping; being on call 24/7.
Nicola
Housekeeping
Servicing/housekeeping, inventory checking, liaising with maintenance, fitting-out new properties… Nicola does everying to keep the apartments in tip top order. After each flat is serviced, perfectionist Nicola signs off the work according to the detailed ESA checklist.
With four years experience, she is now beginning to take on responsibilities as Katrina’s deputy in making decisions, meeting and greeting new arrivals and showing them around their apartments. Living in a village on the edge of the North York Moors National Park, she enjoys horse riding.
Favourite location: Yarm
Top tip: Think of your apartment as new.
Housekeeping
Nicola organises and oversees a team of independent cleaners – not contract
cleaners, but people she knows personally whom she has trained to ESA’s exacting
standards.
Paul
Maintenance
Residents of an ESA apartment naturally take it for granted that everything works well and looks good. That’s all down to Paul. A Yarm local, Paul first met Katrina at Borrelli’s coffee shop around the corner from the ESA apartments. He learned she needed someone she could rely on to make sure ESA’s array of apartments stay in top condition.
Paul was ideally qualified. A joiner by trade, he’s an all-rounder when it comes to practical skills. To relax, he likes to cycle into the midst of the nearby North Yorkshire Moors National Park and over to its spectacular coast.
Favourite location: Yarm
Top tip: For the slightest concern, call any time.
Maintenance
As well being a joiner, Paul is on hand to take care of electrics, plumbing, decorating.. whatever’s needed to keep things running smoothly. For anything major
he has a network of specialists whose services he can call on.
Quality
Our clients stake their reputation on quality. We match them. That’s because the only way companies can be sure ESA apartments deliver what we claim is by the
yardstick set by an outside authority.
Our properties have been awarded a ‘Very Good to Excellent’ Quality Accredited Membership Status by our professional body, the Association of Serviced Apartment Providers (ASAP).
We are one of ASAP’s 170 members collectively operating over 100,000 apartments. in 134 countries. To gain their highly esteemed quality accreditation membership status, we have successfully complied with exceptionally high assessment criteria and codes of conduct.
This means you can expect a mix of high levels of health and safety standards and the peace of mind that you are working with an accredited and experience supplier Not all serviced apartment providers take the time and trouble to invest in quality. We are the only one in our region that does.
Our Philosophy
Our simple focus is on making people happy to come and live like a local in an apartment that’s a home-from-home – beautifully appointed, spacious, super comfortable, smoothly functioning and ideally situated with a friendly, efficient housekeeping service. At the same time, we keep our promises to company people tasked with finding far too many places to stay for all the project team – right away! Our answer is always, don’t worry, it’s as good as sorted. Try us and see.
The ESA Story
We started with a piece of land in 2006 in Thornaby at the hub of the Tees Valley
road network. Where better for us to build 27 state-of-art apartments!
No sooner was the development completed in 2008 than the Financial Crisis came
crashing down. No one was buying. No one was renting. Where else could we find a
market? As established business people in the area, we used our contacts to
identify growth areas in an apparently bleak landscape.
Opportunities
The Tees Valley was, and still is, undergoing economic regeneration by means of
long-term, large-scale industrial projects with financial provision made before the
recession and projected well into the future. Typically belonging to multinationals,
these projects involved engineers and other specialist being mobilised from many
parts of the world to work on-site for extended periods.
Although the idea of serviced apartments was still not yet established, we decorated
and furnished the Thornaby apartments and launched the simple ESA concept to
compete with hotels:
– Home from home executive quality
– Tailored exclusively for business users
– Nightly rate per apartment not per person
– Weekly housekeeping service
It met with such a successful reception from the market, we identified opportunities in
choice central positions at the strategic locations of Yarm, Middlesbrough and
Hartlepool Marina.
Yarm to the south is easily the most sought-after place to live in the Tees Valley
area, and we were fortunate to buy into a cluster of apartments which, though newly
built, is minutes from the bustle of this old market town’s vibrant High Street.
Middlesbrough, is very much the biggest town in the Tees Valley, central in every
respect – geographic, commercial, retail, cultural and sporting. Our apartments are
located in landmark new developments.
Hartlepool Marina to the north is right beside the sea. We own apartments in
exceptionally self-contained enclave with shops, cafes and entertainment on the
doorstep.
Today, we are unrivalled as the region’s provider of serviced apartments solely for
businesses, and the only one to be accredited by ASAP, the Association of Serviced
Apartment Providers. We are continuing to develop the offer to a wider corporate
market with the launch of Essential apartments to complement the Elite range.
10 reasons why an ESA apartment is
superior to a hotel stay
1. Make significant savings
On average serviced apartments are more than 30% cheaper than staying in a hotel room of equivalent quality. The international Association of Serviced Apartment Providers rate ESA apartments “Very Good to Excellent”, comparable to a 4-5 star hotel rating. There is scope for further economies if a two bedroom apartment is occupied by two people on the same project. That’s because the price is based per apartment not per person.
2. Feel at home
When you step into an ESA apartment, you feel at home, not just a guest. With separate bedrooms, living space and kitchen – fully furnished and equipped throughout – you can divide up your time and activities in the natural way you would at home. As a member of the global Association of Serviced Apartment Providers, we adhere to their standards of accommodation, customer service, comfort, privacy, value for money and safety.
3. Eat as you please
Your kitchen is fully fitted and equipped (including dishwasher) to the high standards you would expect at home, so you can cook as you would at home - whether it’s to entertain colleagues or clients, make a quick fresh snack or a favourite breakfast. For convenience, we can arrange meals to make with pre-prepared ingredients.
4. Enjoy independence
As a resident with your own front door, you have the freedom to work, relax or have a meeting whenever you please. The longer you stay the more important it is to have your own space instead of having to go out to escape the boredom of living in one room for months. Quietness is a key feature of our apartments, so you can enjoy uninterrupted privacy to the full.
5. Be entertained
Coming home from a demanding day on site, you can spread yourself across your living room sofa and immerse yourself in all that the latest and best in home entertainment technology can provide - unlimited high speed Wi-Fi, Smart TV and Sky Max, an array which is continually upgraded.
6. Live like a local
When living in another city, region or country, it’s good to have authentic experiences to remember. As an ESA apartment resident you get more than a taste of local life, you share in it. Elite Apartments are in central, sought-after but secluded spots within real communities. By shopping, eating-out, drinking and relaxing as locals do you get to know them and their culture. Instead of room service, an experience of real life.
7. Have family to stay
Naturally, when people are working away for long periods, what they miss most is family life. ESA apartments have two or more bedrooms plus bathrooms; and they are spacious. Family members have freedom to be themselves when they come to visit for however long, or stay there whilst seeking a permanent home - flexibility no hotel can offer.
8. Parking and transport solved
It’s good to have you own car to get to and from the project site, do business around the area or get away to the beautiful places nearby. So it’s good to know you have a designated, secure parking space right beside your building. Residents appreciate the fact that ESA apartments are situated strategically for fast access to main road, rail and air links.
9. Tailor provision to needs
Until we get the call, we seldom know how many people a company wants to send, when or for how long. But we do know we have the resources to accommodate whatever is demanded. What’s more, we recognise the advantages of keeping company staff together by providing multiple apartments in same location. Living in a “village”, people work better because they can relax together.
10. Feel fully supported
When new residents arrive, we welcome them individually, show them round, demonstrate how everything works and give them inside information about making the most of the locality. Throughout their stay, we take care of the cleaning and change of bedlinen and are on-call 24/7 with help and answers to any questions or requests that come up. With ESA it’s personal.
Our Clients
View All Testimonials
The one and two bedroom apartments in Yarm which are modern, well maintained and have all the comforts of home offer a cost-effective alternative to Hotel accommodation. Elite Serviced Apartments have always been flexible regarding dates and short notice bookings which helps immensely when you are arranging bookings based on ship arrival & departure dates.
Stuart McLean, General Manager
Our Locations
Read More
Yarm
Historic Yarm is splendidly situated on either side of the broad, cobbled thoroughfare voted BBC High Street of the Year in 2007 for its exciting variety of quality shops, cafés and pubs.
Middlesbrough
At the centre of the Tees Valley, Middlesbrough is its biggest town. Victorian grandeur is complemented by innovative architecture, It’s a fine and welcoming place to live and visit.
FAQs View All FAQs
Has there been any request you’ve been unable to meet?
Posted by indigo on April 20, 2017
Not up to now. We have received serviced apartment requests at short notice for as many as 41 international visitors and we have delivered within a week.
Do you let apartments for holidays?
Posted by indigo on
No, they are exclusively for use by professionals away on business who do not tolerate the signs of wear and tear inevitable in a holiday let.
What is the maximum number of apartments you can supply at once?
Posted by indigo on
Our resources are scalable. In addition to apartments which we own or are on permanent lease, we have reliable local developers who meet our standards. Our record so far is 36 at a time.
What can you tell me about the locality where I’ll be living?
Posted by indigo on
Every apartment has a folder with helpful general facts about doctors, schools, police, tourist attractions, cafes etc., but we plan to upgrade this to information accessed on a tablet and specific to an individual’s profile e.g. For a health and fitness fan – local gym, physio, cycle routes, sports venues, organic eating.
Can you help with food?
Posted by indigo on
Apartments are self-catering, but residents in Elite apartments get started with a Welcome Hamper, and we can make eating-in easy with “Hello Fresh”, book caterers for special occasions and recommend local eateries and delivery services.
What do you need to know in order for us to make a reservation?
Posted by indigo on
Just give us a list of names, arrival/departure dates and preferred location. It’s all we need to know to mobilise the solution complete in every detail.
Do ESA apartments match our company policy on the environment?
Posted by indigo on
The apartments we own or lease comply with high standards of environmental management regarding energy consumption, waste handling and material sourcing.
What do you mean by “serviced”?
Posted by indigo on April 11, 2017
Fully Inclusive of all utility bills along with housekeeping service. All apartments have undergone a thorough deep clean before a new resident arrives. After that, Elite apartments get a weekly service – dusting, vacuuming, washing-up, bathroom clean-down and bedlinen, towel and bathmat change. Essential apartments have a weekly towel/bedlinen change.
What happens when I arrive?
Posted by indigo on
Once we’ve agreed a time, we meet and greet you personally at the door, show you round, demonstrate how all the appliances work, connect you up to the internet and give you the keys and answer any queries about the apartment and the area.
Do you charge per apartment or per person?
Posted by indigo on
Per apartment. This means another member of the project team can share or family or partner come to stay without any extra charge.
Is there a standard charge or can we make individual arrangements?
Posted by indigo on
Elite apartments start at £90 per night and Essential apartments at £60 a night, for multiple apartments occupied by the same company for periods in excess of one month.
What’s the shortest and longest time I can stay in an ESA apartment?
Posted by indigo on
The advantages over a hotel become apparent after nightly stays, so that’s the minimum. There’s no set maximum because we’ve known on-site projects to last for as long as three years.
