There’s no doubt that Paris is one of the world’s most important cities, representing the beating heart of the globally influential country that is France. Therefore, it’s no wonder business trips here are so common and serviced apartments in Paris are booked all year round.
It is fair to say that corporates preparing to visit the French capital are overwhelmed with an abundance of different places to potentially stay. Nevertheless, what is it about serviced apartments in Paris that stand out above the rest?
Unlike standard Paris hotel rooms or holiday lets, corporate luxury apartments in Paris are designed and fully equipped with a business traveller in mind. For instance, each of the properties Situ offer come with well-equipped kitchens, accessible washing facilities, sizeable dining and living rooms, spacious areas to work and free Wi-Fi connection.
These features, and many more added luxuries if you wish such as private parking, a flat screen TV en-suite bathrooms or gardens, enable corporate guests to enjoy an unparalleled level of comfort that alternative accommodation options cannot provide. We believe location is hugely important too! That’s why our team only find the best Paris apartments and accommodation from all over the capital, meaning a visiting business traveller can pick from a wide range exactly where they wish to stay to accommodate for their work schedule.
In case for some reason you didn’t know already, Paris is the capital city of France, a country based in northwestern Europe. It is located just above the country’s centre and has an inner population of around two million people, packed into an area of only 40 square miles. However, if you include the people residing in the outer suburbs of the capital too, the greater Paris population equates to more like seven million. Either way, Paris is easily the most populous city in France.
The city is split into twenty different districts, also known as arrondissements. These are simply listed from 1 to 20, with the 15th and 8th Arrondissements having the largest and smallest populations respectively. The River Seine intersects several districts and flows in a northwestward direction past the Notre Dame Cathedral, then past the Louvre Museum and then around the Eiffel Tower before finally reaching the English Channel and Le Havre, around 125 miles away from the capital.
The attractions we just mentioned and many more play an important role in encouraging over 30 million people to visit Paris every year. Fortunately getting to the capital is straightforward too. Countless French roads, all either bearing the prefix ‘A’ for motorways, ‘N’ for main roads or ‘D’ for minor roads’ weave in and out of the centre of Paris. These allow French corporates living in other major cities such as Toulouse, Nantes or Lyon to drive to the capital and perhaps spend a business weekend away in a short term rental in Paris.
Whether you are just visiting for a corporate event in Paris or plan to be living in Paris as an expat for the long term, the welcoming business climate here means there are opportunities to be taken wherever you go across the French capital. The Parisian economy boasts the highest GDP in Europe, incredibly accounting for approximately 5% of the entire European GDP. This economy is clearly representative of a major global city and is mainly supported by companies linked to the tertiary sector.
Across the many Paris business districts are many ‘Fortune Global 500’ companies. According to the business magazine, of the top 500 companies in the world, a third of them have head offices in Paris. Moreover, Paris hosts more corporate headquarters of these 500 companies than anywhere in Europe (third-most in the world behind New York and London). With such a strong reputation already, it is unsurprising that the city continues to be one of the largest centres for investment in Europe.
There is certainly not a lack of ongoing business developments in Paris either. Currently, the city has the largest conference centre in the world, is the number one city for corporate meetings in the world, is undergoing the largest urban transport renewal project in Europe, has one of the largest stocks of business and logistic real estate which come with competitive occupancy costs, and Europe’s highest R&D expenditure. Ultimately, we could be here all day talking about the business climate expats in Paris have access too. What’s important is that there is always corporate Paris accommodation available to ensure the potential for business success is never out of reach for overseas professionals.
Thousands, if not millions, of people decide to move to the ‘City of Love’ every year. As the city’s nickname suggests, Paris is known for its association with romance and being home to some of Europe’s most iconic attractions. These include the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and the Louvre Museum, which, together, are visited by around 30 million people every year.
That is not all either across the Paris city centre. There's the Arc de Triomphe, the Musée d'Orsay, the Champs-Élysées and the Sacré Coeur to only name a few. These beautiful and historic monuments, museums and churches are just some of the most well-known sites located in Paris, as there is evidently so much to see and explore!
However, some say the best way to experience Paris is a boat trip along the River Seine. This way visitors get to see some of the city’s major attractions, albeit from a distance, but out of the way of the tourist hustle and bustle that these sites can generate. It is for a similar reason that people moving to Paris are often advised to walk everywhere. Not only can the roads be hectic and overwhelming but embracing the French ‘flâner’ approach can also allow a visitor to truly experience the beauty of the city.
A word of advice from us too when it comes to arranging business meeting locations – avoid the most high-end restaurants and eateries, you will have spent your entire budget by the end! Don’t be afraid to utilise the lovely, quaint cafes or modern bistros that serve up great food and drink at cheaper prices. Either way, the abundance of Paris long term rentals dotted across the city suggests the French capital is somewhere to be enjoyed over a significant period of time.
For corporates overseas, the best way to reach the city is of course via the several Paris Airports. Charles de Gaulle and Orly are both Paris and France’s busiest and largest airports, both near the city centre, whilst Beauvais-Tillé and Châlons Vatry airports offer low-budget flight options from outer suburb Parisian areas.
This diverse choice of airports highlights the high demand of travel into Paris. Whichever one you decide to arrive or depart from, public transport facilities outside each airport make going to and from the airport and aparthotels in Paris straightforward.
For internal city travel, the Paris Metro is the go-to transport option. The system is almost entirely underground, providing travel across 16 lines that altogether stretches over 140 miles. It is the second busiest metro system in Europe, connecting over 300 different metro stations.
Paris’ RER is essentially a hybrid between metro and rail which services the city centre and suburban areas on the outskirts of the capital. It works in a similar way to the Paris Metro, but is instead faster and has fewer stops. It consists of five lines (marked A-D) across a network of over 250 stations.
Be aware that only in Paris Zone 1 can a Paris Metro ticket be used to travel on a RER train. It might be worth booking Paris accommodation there to avoid ticket-buyer inconvenience.
As a mode of transport buses are not the most favoured in Paris due to the traffic the city builds. Services can often be slow or not on time, but therefore are also rather cheap.
The RATP Bus network manages bus travel across the entirety of Paris.
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