Seeking alternatives to hotels or extended stays

[AND_YOU_ARE]

I just recently began a new project working out of state and away from home. Cincinnati Ohio will be my temporary home for the remainder of the year and possibly into next year. My company provides me a daily per diem for working in the field, and leaves both living and dining arrangements up to us. Depending on how you want to live/eat this could provide you an opportunity to keep the remainder of the per diem for anything you want. Right now I am staying in a hotel, but I'd prefer to find an apartment or house to rent fully furnished. Small hotel rooms can quickly cause sanity levels to plummet, and I prefer doing my own cooking compared to eating out all the time.

Ive searched craigslist and haven't found many good locations. Airbnb looked promising, but those prices are high for me, and the 'rent entire house/apartment' option doesn't have too many listings. There have to be other options out there. I am looking for a one bedroom or studio that is fully furnished and stocked, if utilities were included that would be good, but its not a must. Does any one have experience with this? Thanks.

[Random Poster]

It sounds like what you want is corporate executive housing.

I don't know what is available in Cincinnati, but aren't there are few Fortune 500 companies there? I suspect that at least one or two of them have expats either coming in or leaving for abroad that need temporary housing for, say, up to 6 weeks at a time--with some digging, you might be able to find out what kind of housing options they use (I doubt they have 20 or so dedicated places leased all the time) and what the leasing rates are for those places. Perhaps call around to a relocation specialist in town?

As an aside, have you considered something along the lines of a Homewood Suites? They offer 1 bedroom/studio rooms, with a full size refrigerator and 2 burner stove, with some cooking utensils, along with free breakfast and (depending on the place) evening snacks (that could double as a dinner) Monday through Thursday---plus you get Hilton points for your stays. Something to consider. [ETA: note that you generally won't get points after you've stayed 30 consecutive days, so check-out one night each month to re-set the point clock].

[chaz]

Try Angie's List.

[bengal22]

nothing to do with lodging but here are some recommendations:

Steak - any Jeff Ruby restaurant - Precient my favorite
Ice Cream - Graeters
Hamburger - Terry's Turf Club or Zips
Pizza: Deweys
Market : Findley Street Market
Best Baseball in US: Reds

[JupiterJones]

You might just pick up some of those "apartment guide" booklets at the grocery, or get in touch with an apartment finding service.

Because it's possible that leasing a regular, normal apartment in the area for one year (the likely term of the lease) might be cheaper than paying for 5+ months at a Homewood Suites or something like that. Who knows?

[YttriumNitrate]

deleted.

[soaring]

http://www.homeaway.com

after you select the area / city then under more filters, check box for "long term renters welcome". This is usually a vacation site but who knows, give it a try.

[ieee488]

I know of a co-worker who made an arrangement with the manager of a Ramada for $60/night.
We are in the Philadelphia suburbs.
This Ramada has free continental breakfast and the room has microwave and refrigerator.

[jlawrence01]

Here are some links for your to investigate:

https://www.furnishedhousing.com/city-C ... ti-OH.html
http://vesta1.com/locations_cincinnati.html

I cannot vouch for any of the particular properties. However, they all seem to be in pretty good areas.

Make sure that you understand all the expenses and and exit fees should your assignment end prematurely.

[avalpert]

Try Oakwood: http://www.oakwood.com/action/oakwood/s ... promoCode=

[JustBill]

nothing to do with lodging but here are some recommendations:

Steak - any Jeff Ruby restaurant - Precient my favorite
Ice Cream - Graeters
Hamburger - Terry's Turf Club or Zips
Pizza: Deweys
Market : Findley Street Market
Best Baseball in US: Reds

Montgomery Inn will also be a must-do while staying in Cincy.
Great American Ball Park does provide a nice look at the great American pass time.
Bengals soon too during your time there.
Cincinnati has some fairly sketchy areas as many cities do, you'll want a hands-on look at where you select to stay.

[Cyclone]

How can somebody talk about food in Cincinnati and forget about the chili? I liked Gold Star better than Skyline, but everyone has their own opinion. I think the best flavor at Graeter's is mocha chip. Waffle House can be fun too, if they don't have them where you live now.

[MDfive21]

airbnb and homeaway rates are definitely negotiable.

[englishgirl]

You might try vacation rentals by owner www.vrbo.com. Some properties are listed with a monthly price. For instance, here's one: http://www.vrbo.com/399134

[dm200]

Try a "Bed and Breakfast" as a possibility. A few years ago, I had a 3 day business trip to (boulder) Colorado, and my wife was interested in going there for a few days and we could have a day together when I finished up my short work assignment. We stayed at a very nice Bed and breakfast there, and the owners told me that a big part of their customers (especially regulars) were folks there on business that didn't like staying in a hotel/motel environment.

[Dick D]

I agree with looking for a bed and breakfast. Recently we stayed at one where we had a bedroom and a private sitting room. Something like that would probably fit your need.

[countdown]

Recently went through same thing. Actually found craigslist helpful.
Have you tried drilling down to the specific neighborhood which would be acceptable to you?
In larger cities, craigslist drills down to sub-areas and you can fine tune your search to only the desired area. A studio in the right neighborhood sounds like it would work for you.

[dm200]

I agree with looking for a bed and breakfast. Recently we stayed at one where we had a bedroom and a private sitting room. Something like that would probably fit your need.

Depending on the specifics of a "Bed and Breakfast", I suspect many owners might love to have a continuing, longer term customer and might be willing/able to "customize" the accommodations for such an arrangement. It can't hurt to ask. While my wife and I had a regular bedroom with a shared bathroom, this Bed and Breakfast had one room somewhat separate from the other bedrooms, with its own bathroom.

I, also, grow a bit tired of staying at a hotel on work assignments and I wish that I had thought of a Bed and Breakfast in previous years when I did more of such travel.

[Kenkat]

I googled "corporate housing cincinnati" and came up with a number of good options. Looks like there is a place called Execustay which listed apartments the looked nice and were in good areas. Oakwood (mentioned above) was another.

I am from Cincinnati if you have specific questions about locations or neighborhoods.

Good food suggestions except Skyline over Gold Star if you ask me and LaRosa's is the local pizza joint although Dewey's is excellent.

Don't forget White Castle if you can't get them from where you are from.

[AND_YOU_ARE]

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions, you have given me additional items to consider. I haven't been able to spend too much time looking at apartments lately with putting in 65+ hour weeks out here. Hopefully I'll find some time to continue looking. Some VRBO look nice, however I am looking to reduce costs so I can pocket any unspent per diem, but not go so low that I am only looking at the slums.

[hammerhead1]

Try HomeLinkCincinnati.com I used them twice, once for nine months and again for two months. I had a very nice apartment including utilities close to the kenwood shopping mall. My second stay I got a room in one of their guesthouses while I was looking for a house myself, It was nice too.