Corporate & Contractor Accommodation in North West London
How regeneration and extended-stay trends are reshaping accommodation demand in one of London's fastest-developing submarkets.
Executive Summary
- Extended-stay and serviced apartments are outperforming hotels in the UK, with RevPAR 27.5% higher than hotel average between 2021–2023, and net operating margins of 45–55% vs. 30–40% for hotels in central London.
- Corporate demand is now the fastest-growing serviced apartment segment in Europe, following a delayed post-pandemic rebound in business travel.
- North West London combines strong corporate and contractor demand drivers: regeneration hubs such as Brent Cross Town and Wembley, proximity to central London, and good access to transport, airports and key employment centres.
- Specialist intermediaries are actively targeting contractor teams in NWL, while corporate-booking platforms still show relatively thin on-platform inventory, suggesting scope for professional, scaled product.
Extended stay goes mainstream
Across Europe, serviced apartments and extended-stay accommodation have shifted from niche to mainstream in investor and corporate travel strategies. In 2024, serviced apartments across Europe outperformed expectations on occupancy, with RevPAR growth driven primarily by higher occupancy rather than rate, indicating a model focused on longer stays and utilisation.
Extended-stay now accounts for approximately 6% of total accommodation supply across major European cities, yet captures disproportionate investor interest and higher profitability. Central London extended-stay assets deliver meaningfully higher operating margins than hotels, reflecting leaner staffing, lower F&B exposure and longer lengths of stay.
Corporate guests were the fastest-growing segment for serviced apartments in 2024, and most operators expect this to remain the primary growth driver. At the same time, contractor and project-based demand (construction, infrastructure, film/TV production, utilities) is increasingly handled through specialist intermediaries offering block bookings, reserved housing and all-inclusive pricing.
Why North West London
North West London – broadly covering Wembley, Brent, Harrow, parts of Barnet and the areas around Brent Cross and Old Oak – sits squarely in the extended-stay sweet spot: strong project pipelines, good transport connectivity and relative value versus Zone 1 hotel rates.
Regeneration and job creation
Two anchor schemes are particularly relevant:
- Brent Cross Town – a new "park town" for London with homes, offices, leisure and education, connected to St Pancras International in as little as 12 minutes via Brent Cross West, with all London mainline stations reachable in around 30 minutes. The project has an explicit focus on local recruitment, apprenticeships and substantial construction employment.
- Wembley – already a major residential and entertainment hub with significant BTR stock and continuing development, generating consistent corporate and contractor flows from events, fit-out, stadium works and residential schemes.
These schemes drive multi-year waves of demand: first from construction teams and consultants, then from corporate occupiers and their project staff, and later from ongoing facilities, events and operations.
Connectivity and value
NWL benefits from multiple Underground and rail lines (Metropolitan, Jubilee, Bakerloo, Thameslink), road access to the M1, M40 and Heathrow corridor, and proximity to central corporate districts at ADRs typically below West End hotel pricing. For corporate travel managers and contractor procurement teams, this combination translates into reduced accommodation cost without sacrificing city access.
Who is staying in NW London
Corporate travellers
Corporate housing providers targeting central and inner-West London locations serve guest profiles highly relevant to NWL:
- Project-based professionals on 1–12 month assignments
- Relocating staff needing temporary homes
- "Bleisure" travellers mixing work and leisure
- Corporate training, consulting and implementation teams
Average lengths of stay in EMEA range from 25–43 nights depending on unit type, and business travellers increasingly value short commutes to the office, full kitchens and laundry, and family-friendly layouts for relocations.
Contractors and project teams
Dedicated contractor platforms position London as a core market, with extensive UK accommodation options and an emphasis on fully serviced, all-inclusive pricing for teams staying from a week up to two years. Typical use cases include:
- Large regeneration schemes (Brent Cross Town, Wembley, wider North Circular projects)
- Infrastructure and utilities works
- Fit-out and refurbishment projects for offices, retail and hospitality
- Film/TV crews needing multi-month bases close to studios and locations
This segment is price-sensitive but volume-rich, and often prefers 2–4 bedroom houses/apartments with parking, easy site access, inclusive bills and weekly cleaning, plus simple, centralised invoicing.
Supply signals: where are the gaps
Extended-stay still accounts for a small share of total accommodation supply in major European cities despite its profitability and investor interest, indicating headroom for more professional product. London ADR in serviced apartments is forecast to soften slightly from an elevated base, while lengths of stay remain robust – a supportive backdrop for value-oriented outer-London submarkets.
Corporate booking platforms show limited visible inventory in NWL versus central locations, with prompts to contact teams for "offline options" – a sign that on-platform, self-service inventory is sparse or fragmented. At the same time, niche providers and contractor specialists are actively trading in NWL.
Inference: NWL is a working market for contractors and extended-stay guests, but the supply base is fragmented among small operators and not fully visible on mainstream corporate channels. This creates an opportunity for scaled, professionalised product that can be properly marketed to both corporate global mobility teams and contractor procurement.
Designing a hybrid NW London product: corporate + contractor
The key to unlocking NWL lies in product design that can flex between corporate and contractor demand without undermining either segment.
Common denominators
- Self-contained units with fully equipped kitchens and laundry
- High-speed Wi-Fi and reliable workspace
- All-inclusive billing (utilities, council tax, Wi-Fi, cleaning)
- Flexible lengths of stay, from a week to 12+ months
Where needs diverge
Corporate: Stronger preference for high-quality finishes, branding, ESG credentials and proximity to office or transport hubs. Comfortably supports higher ADRs, especially where relocation or project budgets sit with HR / mobility.
Contractors: More beds per unit, parking, storage for tools, easy access to arterial roads and sites. Strong focus on cost-per-person-per-night and predictability over a project lifecycle.
A practical hybrid concept for NWL
Unit mix: 1–2 bed apartments (best for corporate), plus a proportion of 3–4 bed houses/duplexes that can be configured for teams.
Operating model: Extended-stay aparthotel / serviced apartment model, with weekly cleaning by default, contactless check-in and digital guest communication, plus options for block booking / "reserved housing" for corporate clients with predictable volumes.
Location strategy: Focus nodes include Brent Cross West / Cricklewood (for corporate offices and quick St Pancras access), Wembley / Harrow Road corridor (for stadium events, BTR schemes and contractor teams), and edges of Park Royal / Old Oak (overlapping logistics and construction demand).
Go-to-market: channels and partnerships
A dual-channel strategy is essential given the split between corporate and contractor buyers:
Corporate channels
Build relationships with major serviced apartment intermediaries and relocation firms, ensuring NWL inventory is fully represented with negotiated corporate rates. Target occupiers likely to use NWL: companies locating in Brent Cross Town, Wembley office schemes, Park Royal logistics, hospitals and universities in NW London and adjacent boroughs.
Contractor and project channels
Integrate with contractor platforms already aggregating London contractor demand. Develop framework agreements with Tier 1 & Tier 2 contractors, utilities companies and infrastructure consortia operating in NW/West London.
Direct digital
Own your brand in search around terms like "contractor accommodation Wembley", "corporate serviced apartments Brent Cross" and "crew accommodation North West London". Use marketing analytics to track enquiry source, conversion, average length of stay and ADR by segment, enabling data-driven channel mix decisions.
Economics and risk
The extended-stay model's economics are compelling: UK extended-stay properties have outperformed hotels in RevPAR and operating margin, with central London net operating margins at 45–55% vs. 30–40% for hotels. European serviced apartments saw occupancy up 3.8% in 2024, with RevPAR rising 4.4% even as average rates stayed broadly flat – highlighting demand resilience.
However, there are risks:
- Regulatory and planning: Use class (C1 vs C3 vs co-living), local licensing and short-let restrictions must be carefully navigated; extended-stay may need to lean more towards hotel/aparthotel models in some boroughs.
- Cyclicality of construction: Contractor demand is tied to project cycles; diversification into corporate and relocation guests is key.
- Channel concentration: Over-reliance on a single intermediary (corporate or contractor) can expose operators to fee and margin pressure; direct and diversified channels matter.
Implications for investors and operators
Lean into NWL as a hybrid extended-stay cluster. Prioritise sites in Brent Cross, Wembley and the NW edges of Park Royal/Old Oak that combine regeneration story, transport access and mid-market land values.
Design for dual demand from day one. Unit layouts, services and building infrastructure should flex between corporate and contractor use without re-configuration – robust finishes, generous storage, flexible furniture.
Monetise block demand. Explore long-term reserved housing or block-booking agreements with anchor corporates, major contractors and public-sector bodies to underpin baseline occupancy, with dynamic inventory left for spot corporate and OTA demand.
Use data and PropTech aggressively. Implement a modern PMS/CRM stack that tracks segment, channel, stay length and rate, and link this to marketing analytics so you can actively manage mix between higher-rate short stays and lower-rate, longer project bookings.
Position NWL as "city access without city pricing." The narrative for both corporates and contractors is simple: predictable, high-quality accommodation, 10–30 minutes from central London, at a discount to West End hotel rates, with the convenience of a home.