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Business Travel, Corporate Housing

What You Need to Know to Adapt to the Push for Hybrid Work

July 16, 2021
hybrid work video conference call

Were you prepared for the COVID disruption, or were you among the 88% of organizations that didn’t feel completely prepared to switch to remote work? These organizations had to rush to deploy their cloud technologies, which harmed their business continuity. 

Now we’re on the verge of another major disruption – the switch to hybrid work. This is a blended model that involves having some employees return to the office while others continue to work remotely. 

Want to be ready and prepared instead of being caught off guard by this disruption? Read on to learn how this shift will impact your business and how to prepare for it.

Why Hybrid Work Is Here to Stay

Vaccines are being distributed at a rapidly efficient pace and the government’s reopening plan is underway. So many employees will be heading back to the office soon. But will the workforce ever fully return to normal? 

Although the COVID disruption forced many businesses to switch to remote work, most of them also saw an increase in employee productivity and satisfaction. This is because 76% of employees say they’re more productive when they’re working from home. 

So, we’ve already launched cloud technologies that allow you to work from home and we’ve seen that it works. Why go back to the old way of doing things? 

Businesses are much more likely to adopt a flexible work model—one that allows employees to work from anywhere and come into the office whenever they need to. 

Employee expectations have also changed. Over 70% of workers want to have the option to work remotely, while over 60% crave the opportunity to work with their team in-person again. 

And competitive employers will find that they’ll need to offer flexible options to acquire the best talent in the post-pandemic workplace. 

How Hybrid Work Changes Where People Work

Because the hybrid workplace has a cloud infrastructure, businesses are more agile and flexible. And you can easily take your work from the office to your home. 

But you’re not limited to your office or home either. Hybrid work allows people to be based in or travel to any part of the world.

This gives employers access to a broader talent pool and the best talent across the globe. 

It also means that workers can visit strategic areas or even relocate to a new city with minimal disruption to their work. For example, those based outside of Toronto can be actively involved in its business, finance, arts, and culture. 

Business travel is increasing, and it’s expected that this trend will continue well into the 2020s.

The push for hybrid work makes the future of flexible travel possible. 

How to Ensure Your Employees Are Well-Equipped for Hybrid Work

How do you ensure a smooth transition to hybrid work that doesn’t disrupt the continuity of your business? 

Leaders must equip workers with the necessary tools so that they can remain engaged in the platforms their company uses – whether they’re at home or on the go. Leaders shouldn’t have a narrow focus on where to invest but also invest in remote work and business travel. 

For example, 1 in 10 workers lacks an adequate internet connection for their job. Yet over 46% say that their employer doesn’t contribute to their remote work expenses. 

And if your workers travel a lot, they may get worn out by it. They may also feel less compelled to work if they’re always staying at cheap motels. 

Make Business Travel Easier and More Productive with DelSuites

Looking for a rental where your workers can stay during their business trips? DelSuites offers short-term apartments and condos that are fully furnished and serviced, allowing employees to continue working effectively during their stay. 

DelSuites was also proud to win the 2021 TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Award, a guest-voted award designed for hotels, hospitality providers, and the many TripAdvisor attractions. The award saw guests agreeing that DelSuites “consistently delivers fantastic experiences to travelers around the globe.”

Are your workers spending a lot of time away from home? Do you want to make business travel easier and motivate them to work more productively? Have them stay at one of our quality short-term rentals. Browse our locations in Downtown Toronto, North York, Scarborough, and more today.

Business Travel, Corporate Housing, Toronto Condos, Vacation Travel

Short-Term Rental vs. Hotel: Weighing Your Options on Where You Should Stay in Toronto

October 26, 2020
toronto travel hotel vs short-term rental

You land in the city and are looking for a place to stay. Finding a living space that is clean and comfortable is going to be priority number one. Luckily you have options. When it comes to serviced living spaces, the two most popular options include: booking a short-term rental or finding a hotel. 

Depending on what type of trip you are taking to the city, whether it’s business or leisure, how you want to spend your time here, and where you reside will change. Both hotels and short-term rentals offer different experiences that can enhance or hinder your stay. 

Here is a breakdown that will help you weigh your options and help you decide which is better for you: 

What Do Short-Term Rentals Offer?

short-term rental unit

Privacy

Since the entire living space is rented, you get a greater sense of privacy and experience fewer interruptions from other guests or staff like you would at a hotel. Especially in a time of social distancing, you do not have to worry about sharing common areas with other patrons or having to wear a face mask every time you leave your room. Instead, settle in and spread out as you please. 

Feeling At Home

Amenities like a kitchen, washer and dryer, and fully furnished living spaces are often included. This enhances the feeling of home as you can prepare your various meals, tend to your own laundry and live at your own pace in your home away from home.

Better Sense of the Neighbourhood

Short-term rentals are great for a longer stay. With locations throughout most major cities, you can get to know the area and community you are living in. Feel like a local and get fantastic intel on the best bars, restaurants, and hidden gems in the neighbourhood.

Saves You Money

Being able to do things like cook for yourself in a kitchen means you don’t have to worry about added costs on amenities that are included right in your living space. Likewise, the ability to be more self-sufficient means less hassle with cleaning fees and having to tip the bellboy. 

Drawbacks

For short-term rentals, the increased independent living does mean you miss out on things like room service or larger amenities that a luxury hotel might provide. However, for condo-style or suite-style temporary rentals with DelSuites, things like a gym or a pool are still often available to you. 

What Do Hotels Offer?

hotel room vs short term rental

Many, Many Locations

Most major cities are no stranger to luxury hotels. This means you can have your pick of the best hotel in whichever neighbourhood you’d like to reside on your trip. Grab the best view in the city or the closest room to your favourite places in the downtown core, the choice is up to you. 

Service When You Want It

Hotels provide round-the-clock service. This means convenience and direct customer service whenever you have a complaint or concern with your room. Likewise, prepared meals are available for delivery at a cost, just pick up the phone and dial room service.

You’re In and Out

Reception operates 24/7 which allows for check-in and check-out at any time of the day or night.  This is great for international travellers or those on short business trips as you do not have to deal with the hassle of extensive clean up when you leave. 

Drawbacks

For hotels, rooms must be cleaned frequently and linens changed almost every day. This constant servicing can be very disruptive as it increases unnecessary interaction with staff and can alter travel itineraries based on house cleaning hours. At the same time, with so many rooms to service, specialized care, and focus on your living space is reduced. 

In this time of social distancing, it is vital to limit interaction with other people and increase cleanliness in high touch areas, something that might be overlooked in hotel room maintenance. 

Choosing the Best Option for Your Trip 

Both hotels and short-term rentals have pros and cons and can alter how you experience a city. In a major city like Toronto, with so much to see and unique activities to do, it is important to experience the most of this beautiful city at your own pace. Although hotels provide luxury and convenience, short-term rentals save you money while allowing you to feel the privacy and comforts of home so you can focus on your trip. 

When you’re staying in Toronto, booking with DelSuites is the best of both worlds. Our short-term rentals allow you to enjoy your independence during your stay, but when you need it, maintenance and customer service are just one call away. With well-established locations throughout the city, you can rely on us to make you feel right at home anywhere you are. 

If you’re interested in learning more, visit our website today to see how staying with DelSuites is the best choice for your trip to Toronto. 

Business Travel, Corporate Housing

A Guide to Hosting Virtual Corporate Meetings From Your Remote Location

September 25, 2020
virtual-meeting-corporate-housing

By now, we’ve all attended at least one virtual meeting. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it essential for all of us to learn new ways of conducting business—even if it means migrating to an online setting and working remotely. Luckily, we do have access to exceptional technology that allows us to continue to do business, even if in-person meetings are no longer a possibility in many cases. 

While video conferencing tools like Zoom are helping millions of businesses to conduct meetings and events seamlessly throughout the pandemic, for many, it’s proving a little difficult to master the art of the online meeting. After all, to run an effective meeting, a whole new host of skills are required. Using this guide, you’ll be able to run an efficient and productive virtual meeting. 

Have Someone Present to Let People Into the Meeting

With video conferencing apps like Zoom, the host often needs to be present to let attendees into the meeting room. To make the meeting as seamless as possible, assign someone to the role of “virtual receptionist.” 

Make sure they are on hand a few minutes prior to the meeting’s start time to let people into the meeting room and introduce them to other early birds. This will give the meeting an extra professional feel and will set people at ease from the get-go. 

Set Ground Rules

As you can easily imagine, virtual meetings can easily get confusing and chaotic, especially when there are lots of attendees. To ensure that the meeting runs smoothly, set some ground rules in advance. The following points can be extremely helpful in keeping things on track:

  • Ask people to mute themselves when they don’t have the floor. This will help the speaker to get their points across and will prevent background noise from creating unnecessary distractions. With some apps, people’s video feeds will take over the screen when they make noise, which can be distracting for obvious reasons!
  • Set rules for how people will contribute. A good way to do this is to assign someone the role of the meeting organizer. Ask people with questions or points to write a message in the chatbox. When an appropriate moment arises, the meeting leader can give this person the floor. 
  • Set rules about staying on topic. The meeting leader should have the power to divert the conversation back on track if the meeting veers off course onto a tangent. 

With clear, pre-set rules, you won’t have to worry about the meeting taking a wrong turn. Plus, you’ll ensure that every speaker gets their turn!

Create an Itinerary and Make Sure Attendees are on the Same Page

In addition to sending attendees some ground rules in advance, send them a rough itinerary of what will be covered. Set aside a specific amount of time for each item on the agenda. This way, you can stay on course and cover everything you need to in the meeting. 

Write a Script or a Guide for Presentations

If you are presenting ideas or products during the meeting, don’t feel as though you need to think on your feet. Prepare as you would for an in-person presentation, and jot down some notes on what you want to say. For more formal presentations, you might even write a rough script. 

Make Use of Features Like Screen Sharing

While video conferencing isn’t always ideal, it does have some perks. Namely, that there are many features that can make sharing information quick and easy. Screen and file sharing is an excellent feature that allows you to share slides, images, and documents with all attendees. Some might even say it’s better than a projector!

Use Breakout Rooms for Smaller Group Sessions

Another excellent feature of many video conferencing apps is the breakout room feature. For longer business meetings, you may wish to split the large group into a few smaller groups. This will give people a chance to come up with ideas, reflect, and discuss. 

Depending on the purpose of your breakout rooms, you can set the app to choose groups at random, or you can set the groups in advance. Using this feature will give the meeting structure and will help to keep all attendees engaged and active throughout.

DelSuites: Find the Perfect Home Office Away From Home

Even though businesses are operating largely online, lots of people are beginning to travel for business. Here in Toronto and the GTA, we’ve seen more and more executives visiting the city. 

We offer beautiful, temporary accommodation and corporate housing that is perfect for people visiting the city on business. With our enhanced cleaning regime and our fully-fitted suites, you’ll find yourself in the perfect place to set up a temporary office—and host those virtual meetings like a pro! Find out about our short-term rentals in Toronto today.

Business Travel, Corporate Housing, Lifestyle talk

Your Guide to Online Professional Development 

June 23, 2020
online learning from short-term rentals in toronto

As Canada begins the deliberate process of reopening the economy, we’re left wondering whether key changes brought on by the pandemic will stick around for good. Will our new normal consist of online schooling, virtual doctor’s appointments, and working from home? Only time will tell.

What we know for sure is that things will never be the same, and even something as basic as short-term rentals in Toronto has been changed forever. And while the employment market has taken a hit, certain sectors have thrived under COVID-19, including areas within tech, supply chain manufacturing, logistics, and shipping. But what about everyone else?    

For employers and employees alike, now is the time to learn new skills while sharpening your existing set. We’ve done the legwork and gathered the best resources for you to build your knowledge and gain a competitive advantage in the post-COVID marketplace—all for free. 

It should be noted that the benefits of professional development extend well beyond the workplace—they empower you in your daily life. Learning improves your health and wellbeing, drives curiosity, and creates unexpected opportunities.

Let’s take a look at what free online learning resources are available to you while staying in a furnished suite in Toronto.  

Professional Development Courses Offered by Canadian Universities 

Canada’s leading universities are providing a wide variety of free online courses in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Participating institutions include: 

  • University of Toronto. UofT is using Coursera to offer online courses across disciplines, including topics such as programming, introductory psychology, and Aboriginal worldviews and education. They’re also providing a course on managing your mental health during COVID-19. 
  • University of British Columbia. UBC Is providing courses through edX on subjects such as coding and software development, novel-writing, climate change, and a wide range of business topics. 

Other well-known institutions, including Harvard and MIT, have followed a similar route. Take a look at what interests you:  

  • Princeton University. Princeton has taken the Coursera route, with 14 courses currently available. Its selection primarily revolves around computer science theory and computer architecture—the standalones include a course called Buddhism and Modern Psychology.  
  • Stanford University. Stanford’s selection is similar to Princeton’s, with 23 courses offered on Coursera. Start dates range from currently available to launching October of this year. Some highlights include Game Theory, Love as a Force for Social Justice, and Understanding Einstein: The Special Theory of Relativity. 
  • Yale University. Yale is also using Coursera to offer its selection of 30 courses, many of which specialize in American law. Health-related courses include Introduction to Breast Cancer, Essentials of Global Health, and Health Behaviour Change: From Evidence to Action. 

More Resources to Boost Your Potential

A number of well-known organizations are currently offering free online courses and webinars to further your knowledge across a vast range of topics. Check out what’s available: 

  • The Linux Foundation Training. An expanded mentorship program was launched in response to COVID-19, offering free educational content on open source technologies. Check out their 45-page ebook introducing open source strategies and software for enterprises. 
  • CPA Canada. Their blog updates you on the latest podcasts, webinars, and training to expand your skillset. Keep yourself in the loop with a stream of relevant resources and reading material. 
  • LinkedIn Learning. Pick up in-demand skills from real-world professionals with over 14,000 courses to choose from. Free trials last for a month. Not sure where to start? Check out LinkedIn’s course on how to use LinkedIn Learning. 

A Quiet Space to Learn and Work 

short-term rentals in toronto for online learning

For many of us, the lockdown has been far from peaceful. With our usual outlets unavailable, little to no contact with family and friends, and the anxieties of a viral pandemic weighing on us at every turn, what we really need is a break from isolation. But we need to be careful. 

The solution is to find a space away from home (but not too far) where you can relax and focus while staying as safe as possible. Think of it as a temporary wellness retreat or a second home office. So, what’s the answer? 

Short-term rentals in Toronto allow you to work and learn without constant interruptions. In particular, a furnished suite by DelSuites lets you take a breath and unwind while providing you with everything you need to stay exactly where you are, from a fully-stocked kitchen and ensuite laundry to high-speed internet. Our furnished apartments in Toronto offer the luxury, comfort, and safety of a hotel—only without the hefty price tag and high turnover of guests. 

Are you looking for a calm space to rest, rejuvenate, and learn new skills? Book your suite today by visiting our website. Feel free to get in touch with our team if you have any questions. 

Corporate Housing, Toronto Condos, Vacation Travel

What is the Secret Wellness Retreat We All Need?

May 29, 2020
furnished suite living room

Are you feeling antsy? You’re not alone. Recent weeks under lockdown have left us feeling a range of emotions: grumpy, short-tempered, anxious—you name it.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left no aspect of life untouched. Whether it’s restaurants, shopping malls, gyms, or camping grounds—all of our usual retreats are no longer available as outlets for us to release pent-up energy and feel recharged in the process. And with travel out of the question for the foreseeable future, a change of scenery has become a distant dream. 

People are feeling moody, unusually tired, and downcast. Alone time without distractions is difficult, if not impossible, to come by—especially with kids in the mix. For those of us who have considered sitting in the car for a couple of hours as a brief escape from life in isolation, we have a better solution—and it’s called furnished suites. 

Furnished Suites: A Home Away From Home

furnished suite main area

Renting a furnished condominium in the GTA is the perfect solution for those of us craving a change of scenery without straying too far from home. Treat it as a wellness retreat or a second home office—whatever the reason, a premium condo offers all the luxury of a hotel room without feeling impersonal. 

Taking care of your mental health should always be a top priority. In recent months, COVID-19 has cast a shadow over our lives. For many of us, the constant fear of infecting our loved ones has left its mark. If you find that your sleep patterns have shifted and concentrating is more difficult than usual, you’re not alone. 

With a furnished and serviced condo, you’re free to unwind in a space that’s yours. Take a much-needed break from watching or reading the endless stream of pandemic-related news stories and reconnect with the activities that you enjoy. Whether your hobbies are creative writing, meditation, or yoga, you now have a silent space to indulge in what fulfills you.

Short-term rentals (or furnished suites) spare you the hassle of ownership while providing you with a home away from home. With prime locations across the GTA, DelSuites grants you access to premium accommodations with personalized services. With our meticulous standards for sanitization and flexible pricing and cancellation terms, you won’t have a single worry on your mind. 

Striking the Ideal Work-Life Balance

In a matter of months, the COVID-19 outbreak has blurred the boundaries between work and home. At first glance, working from home seems like a breeze: no in-person oversight, the elimination of soul-crushingly long commutes, and a flexible work schedule that accommodates unexpected circumstances, such as taking care of a loved one who has fallen ill. But as many of us now know, working from home comes with its own set of unique challenges. 

Whether it’s hiccups in technology, time zone differences, or feeling disconnected from coworkers, working from home can be uniquely frustrating and leave you feeling drained at the end of the day. Plus, if you thought coworkers dropping by your desk was distracting, working from home opens up Pandora’s Box of interruptions.

Over time, breaking your concentration to sign off for deliveries, remind your kids that you’re working, or to let the dog out is maddening. Even finding a place in your home to take a conference call without waking the baby is stressful. Fully serviced furnished suites take away the need for a do-not-disturb sign that’s bound to be ignored.

Without the background noise of a library or coffee shop (which are closed anyway), you don’t need an expensive pair of noise-cancelling headphones. For the first time in months, you’ll be able to hear yourself think. Give your work the full attention it deserves, be as productive as possible, and reach breakthroughs. 

Take Care of Yourself 

furnished suites open space

Living through a viral pandemic isn’t easy. Lighten the load on your shoulders by treating yourself to a separate space—whether it’s a personal getaway or a second home office, you deserve to feel rejuvenated and focused. 

Here at DelSuites, we take care of you. Our suites are fully equipped with everything you need—from toiletries and ensuite laundry (with detergent, of course) to top-shelf kitchen equipment. If you plan on working, we’ve got you covered with high-speed broadband internet and long-distance telephone packages. 

Each suite has been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected in accordance with our rigorous standards for cleanliness. All of our buildings are staffed with 24-hour security personnel and on-call managers who are ready to assist in an emergency. 

Give Yourself the Support You Need With Furnished Suites by DelSuites

Recent months have brimmed with stress and uncertainty. Release the tension that you’ve built up by retreating to a home away from home where you can relax, recharge, and focus like never before. 

For more information or to book your retreat today, email info@delsuites.com or visit our website. 

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