by michelle | Jul 22, 2015 | Corporate Travel, PCH Happenings, PCH Praise
Preferred Corporate Housing, a leading provider of temporary lodging solutions in more than 42,000 North American destinations, has been shortlisted for the Forum for Expatriate Management’s (FEM) annual EMMA award for “2015 Corporate Housing Provider of the Year.”
This is the second major recognition this year for Preferred Corporate Housing, who won the Corporate Housing Providers Association (CHPA) Tower of Excellence award for “Large Market Provider of the Year,” in February 2015.
“We are honored to be included in this exclusive list of recognized temporary housing providers by one of the relocation industry’s leading organizations,” said Samantha Elliott, President of Preferred Corporate Housing. “FEM is quickly becoming a go-to resource for knowledge-sharing, best practices and partnership within the global talent and mobility industry, and we are thrilled to be considered one of the best corporate housing providers in their eyes,” said Elliott.
The annual Americas Expatriate Management and Mobility Awards (EMMAs), “celebrate excellence in global mobility. With over 20 categories, these awards truly recognize leaders, business successes and rising stars,” as described on the FEM website.
“We believe we continue to achieve successes and honors such as this because our entire team is committed to innovation and excellence in the temporary housing services we provide,” said Krista Ripper, Director of Business Development for PCH. “We work each day to find new and exciting ways to improve the guest experience, and we never settle for doing things just because its the way they’ve always been done,” said Ripper.
“Our goal is clear,” said Elliott. “We want to be the best temporary housing provider with the best team, the best options, the best tools and the best prices. Being included in this prestigious list is proof that we are on the right track,” said Elliott.
The final award winners will be announced at the black tie gala event on September 9th at the Loews Coronado Bay Hotel in San Diego.
About Preferred Corporate Housing
Preferred Corporate Housing has been providing furnished temporary housing services across North America for more than 20 years. With service to more than 42,000 locations, PCH has become a go-to resource for more than 8,000 local, national and global clients including 413 companies on the 2014 Fortune 500 list.
Press & Media Contact
For questions or commentary about trends in the corporate housing industry, if you would like to collaborate on story development, or if you are looking for a corporate housing subject-matter expert (SME) to serve as a speaker/panelist at your next conference or trade show, please inquire with our media relations contact to arrange an interview with a Preferred Corporate Housing executive. Michelle Velasquez – (800) 960-0102 ext 21, michelle@corporates.com.
by michelle | Jul 13, 2015 | Apartment Living, Corporate Travel, Travel Tips
The use of tenant screening, more commonly referred to as “background checks,” is growing in popularity in multi-family apartment leasing. These days just about every landlord and property manager utilize some sort of credit and rental history screening process for the financially-responsible party, but now the integration of background checks for residents is becoming just as commonplace. In the past 24 months, Preferred Corporate Housing has seen a significant increase in the communities which now require specific guest information to be provided so that criminal background checks can be performed on each occupant. While each property management company has it’s own criteria they use to evaluate whether or not they will accept or reject an applicant, PCH is finding that communities are following the guidelines and recommendations from their local civil authorities. With many states and municipalities having passed legislation requiring the tracking of criminal offenders and sexual predators, apartment communities may be required by local law to perform these tenant screenings.
“PCH provided our fully furnished apartments in 49 out of the 50 U.S. states in 2014, and we’ve seen an uptick in background checks/tenant screening processes in every state we serviced,” said Anna Doran, Senior National Account Executive for Preferred Corporate Housing. “This is a welcome trend from our perspective because, even though it may cause a bit more paperwork on the front-end, adding criminal screenings is a way to improve safety across the board for our corporate clients,” said Doran.
Another reason multi-families are adding these types of criminal screenings to their leasing process is in effort to eliminate “negligent leasing.” This is a widely used term in the multi-family rental industry used to describe a rental situation go awry due to lack of due diligence and pre-screening on the part of the community management. Negligent leasing is a real concern today as properties can potentially avoid theft, violence and damages by simply running a criminal history check on guests before accepting them to their property. Fair Housing laws require that if any screening of this nature is performed on one potential resident, it must be applied to all potential residents across the board.
“We prefer to place our corporate clients at communities that require these type of criminal screenings for guests because it adds a bit more peace-of-mind about the neighborhood,” said Megan Margetusakis, Director of Operations for PCH. “Our clients have an expectation of safety when they stay with us, and while we can’t guarantee that crime won’t happen, we can do our due diligence to reduce the risk by placing them in communities with resident screening requirements.”
Although resident screening services can potentially weed out unwanted, potentially dangerous neighbors, many corporate clients have balked at the requirements to provide the personal information needed to complete these screenings for their corporate travelers. This hesitancy is not due to fear that their employees will not pass the screenings, but rather protection of their employees’ personally identifiable information. Drivers License numbers, date of birth, and even social security numbers are often required for these screenings. International travelers may even be asked to provide copies of their passports.
“The most important thing for corporate travel and mobility managers to understand when it comes to resident screening requirements is that we must abide by the community requirements when placing your employees in our furnished apartments,” said Margetusakis. “Because of Fair Housing and other local laws, we do not have the ability waive these requirements on a case by case basis for any guest or employee. What we can offer are secure ways to provide the required personal information that doesn’t violate the company’s PII policy and/or place the employee at risk for PII exposure.” said Margetusakis.
Tenant screening, background checks, criminal history review…they are all here to stay, and it is highly-likely that their inclusion in rental approval processes will continue to gain popularity throughout the country. Corporate Travel and Mobility Managers should be prepared to counsel their employees on this requirement and talk through best-practices and safe methods for providing the necessary personal information for these screenings.
by michelle | Jul 6, 2015 | Corporate Travel, Misc., Travel Tips
Even if you love your job as much as we love ours, getting back into the groove of things after a vacation can be quite challenging, especially if it was after an extended holiday. From the email backlog to nonstop “catch-up” meetings and events, sometimes your body is present at the office while your mind is still enjoying the sandy beaches and pina coladas! Everyone needs a break now and then to decompress and forget the duties and responsibilities of business, but the key to making the most of your stress-reducing vacation is knowing how to effectively get back in the swing of things after taking time off. Here are a few tips to ensure your return to work is smooth sailing:
1. Check out…but Check-In – A recent Harris poll of 2,071 US workers showed that 6 out of 10 people said checking their emails while on vacation made it easier for them to ease back into work. Staying in touch with the office, even if just to keep a watchful eye from afar, helps relieve that anxious feeling when its time to return.
2. Use that last day of vacation as a “rest and recovery” day – Take the last day off to rebound from your vacation. Relax and enjoy some quiet time. Turn in early and get a good night’s rest. Don’t wait to sleep on the plane or use the last few hours to down the remaining shots of tequila. Use the last day to transition back to the reality version of yourself so you’ll be prepared for the next day to work.
3. Keep your mood upbeat – If you just left the Mexican resort of your dreams, why not listen to the music that reminds you of all the fun you had while you’re on your way in to the office. Throw in a quick cardio workout to get the endorphins flowing and help you rebound from all the guacamole and margaritas. Start your day back to work in a great mood and hold on to it as long as possible.
4. Keep things simple and stick to a game plan – Not all 280 new emails need to be answered within the first hour of your arrival back. Prioritize by importance/urgency and don’t get overwhelmed. Follow up, in detail, with the people who have an immediate demand, and for those who don’t, send a quick email saying you will soon follow up.
5. Reassess your goals – Chances are, that tropical vacation and whatever took you out of your groove is probably still on your mind. Get your mind back to the present by writing out your goals for the upcoming week. Reassess what you want to accomplish now that you’re back in the swing of things, and you may even have a fresh perspective now that you’ve had a chance to clear your head.
Preferred Corporate Housing, a leading provider of temporary lodging solutions in more than 42,000 North American destinations, has been shortlisted for the Forum for Expatriate Management’s (FEM) annual EMMA award for “2015 Corporate Housing Provider of the Year.”