Apartment amenities have come a long way from the days of just having an indoor pool, and on-site coin laundry. At Bigos we try to accommodate any and all of our tenants’ needs. We found some of the highest trending amenities people think bring apartment living to the next level.
Having an on-site resident concierge is actually an amazing amenity to have, and give you a general sense of security in your home. A concierge can do everything from assist in travel arrangements, hold and sign for packages and deliveries, be the middle-man between tenants and management. They are likely on-site, but more and more are available via applications or SMS messages for quick and active response times.
More and more people are purchasing electric cars, or hybrid cars that require charging as opposed to filling up with gas. Despite the increase in electric cars, charging stations seem to remain sparse. Ensuring your tenants with electrical cars have a place to charge while parked overnight at home is a key amenity that should not be ignored. It almost encourages people to make the switch to electric cars with the added convenience of charging at home.
People who commute to work may appreciate a rideshare program, if they find other tenants taking the same route as them, and they could be carpooling and not only saving on gas and parking costs, but getting to take the luxurious carpool lane. Concierge and management can easily connect tenants together that could take advantage of a rideshare program.
In an apartment building there is a shared mail room, which brings the risks of lost mail, stolen packages, and lack the security people with homes sometimes get when it comes to mail delivery. How they work is when you get a package delivered, you are given a smart parcel barcode or authorization code that will then get entered in the locker and you can pick up your package. It doesn’t require any concierge to monitor and sign for a package, it just goes straight into the locker by the delivery person, and it can be safe and secure until you pick it up!
Smart thermostats may be one of the coolest smart home features around. Not only can you control your thermostat from an app on your phone, but many are compatible with voice activation apps like Siri or Amazon Alexa. Most also utilize geofencing and you can set a range to where you are a certain distance away from home, the thermostat will go into “away mode” then click back on when you are back in range. This is extremely energy efficient, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to turn it down when you are away from home. This would also allow for the apartment managers and maintenance teams to easily track and monitor the energy used in every unit.
Many iterations of outlet sockets have been developed over the years. Two-prong to three-prong, and now with so many of our electronics being USB capable, rather than using the USB plug-in, outlets are being made to allow USBs to be plugged in directly to the outlet. This is an incredibly useful thing and actually helps save outlets and appliances from the strain of the heavy plug-in. They can cause unneeded wear and tear to both your outlets and the USB end. Imagine not having to lug any plugins around, just your USB cord that can easily plug into any outlet on the kitchen counter, or in your bedroom. Genius!
That’s right, coin-LESS laundry. They only thing better than coin-less laundry would be laundry in your unit, which is an amazing feature many apartments have. In an age where we can literally pay for things just using our cell phones, carrying cash and change is not something we often do. Moving away from coin-operated laundry can make the lives of tenants easier than ever. Whether accepting credit cards, or having special laundry cards fillable online can alleviate the stress of having to wrangle up a bunch of dollars in change just for a couple loads of laundry.
Having spaces for artists or creative types to create in an actual studio can make them feel super welcome and that is a kicker for them renting from you. There are artist lofts that require tenants to be in some sort of creative or artistic field in order to rent the studio spaces. Integrating studio space into a regular on-site amenity can make all the difference. They don’t have to be big, and they could be sorted out to sign-up to use the space. This may encourage more artistic tenants to actually flex their skills and crafts when they know they have the space to do it.
Back in the day, apartments may have had business centers, kind of like a hotel, that contained computers and printers for tenants to use. Now that everyone probably has their own computers, laptops, and tablets they don’t need a full business center to use, but a conference or meeting room can be huge. Small business owners or people who work remotely can utilize these spaces to get work done, hold meetings, or just hold a professional business event. Conference rooms with televisions and all the technology hook-ups someone may need can help the remote worker feel like they can be a part of something, and be able to leave their apartment space to get real work done.
On par with having conference and meeting rooms, having a coffee bar or small cafe can help tenants feel like they can have a space outside their unit to go relax, work, meet with friends, etc. It can also be good for people who work early in the morning and didn’t make any coffee, or are running late, so they know they can just pop downstairs to the cafe and get a coffee to go. This makes them feel cared for and the convenience is a major selling point.
Entertainment kitchens, or party rooms can be super useful to tenants who, although have a smaller unit, can still throw parties with family and friends at their home. Many apartments that have outdoor pools or gardens have outdoor kitchens that have a grill, fridge, counter space, and other amenities to allow for a nice grill out party.
Community movie or TV rooms can be a great way to develop a community amongst the apartment tenants and management. It can be like going to a movie theatre without ever having to leave your house! Plus, you get to meet your neighbors, you can have kid-friendly nights. TV rooms can host football parties for tenants on the big screen. Fun!
A rooftop deck on an apartment building is an incredible amenity to have because it’s something only an apartment complex can offer. Views of the city, rooftop pools, lounge areas, etc. can be a major selling point to your apartment complex. A private outdoor area, that is exclusive to those living there can be something that they enjoy for most of the year. A home with a view is all anyone really wants, right?
For those tenants with dogs or cats, it’s important they know they have somewhere or someone to care for them when they are gone on vacation, or even if they work long days. On-site concierge can arrange these services, to ease any worry about their animal being alone for long periods of time. Dog walkers and groomers can also be arranged.
For tenants with a green thumb, growing vegetables or plants on their balcony can only get them so far. Having a community garden is an effective way to not only cater to those interests of the tenants, but can allow for a communal affair and maybe even free vegetable handouts when the garden is bountiful. Fingers crossed!
Everyone knows that sometimes finding the time to get a haircut is tough, let alone any other pampering services. On-site concierge can schedule and arrange spa services for tenants who don’t have time to read reviews of the best spots in town for a little “treat yourself” day. From the scheduling to the final spa day, the concierge can help make it easy as ever to get the services you need.
Bigos Apartments offers a lot of these amenities, and strive to make your apartment a place you love to be. With inclusive amenities, you can truly feel at home, but also embrace amenities no one who owns a home gets to have. Call us for availability, and for questions about the awesome amenities we offer.
