A serviced apartment is a fully furnished apartment[1] available for both short-term as well as long-term stays, providing all the hotel-like amenities. Serviced apartments typically include soft-furnishings and cooking utensils so that long term tenants need not bring their own, and have all the services like housekeeping, front office, parking & others included in the rent. Serviced apartments therefore include all of the convenience of hotel rooms but can be less expensive than equivalent hotel rooms for longer stayers. Because of the beginning of the boom in longer stay international travel as well as the corresponding increase in the level of sophistication of international travelers, interest in serviced apartments has risen at the expense of the use of hotels for short stays. Benefits may include more space and privacy, convenience when travelling with a family, and the savings associated with cooking one's own meals in the accommodation.