...says Annabell Unmüßig, managing director of Black F. Serviced apartments are in demand like never before – and are needed like never before, she emphasises. For years now there has been a large housing shortage in all major cities in Germany as well as in most medium-sized cities. “Politics simply fail to persuade the market to build adequate housing,” says the serviced apartment operator and real estate expert from Freiburg. And this shortage also affects many companies, as they have great problems finding spontaneous temporary housing for their new employees or project managers in the respective cities, which exacerbates the already prevailing shortage of skilled workers.
“As a result, they are forced to resort to relatively expensive hotel rooms, or they rent apartments at high prices in order to remedy the situation,” says the real estate expert. Companies would then pay high rents, as a result driving up rents in a city and in turn block housing that would otherwise be important to long-term private tenants.
“Arrive, get away from home, feel good”
Serviced apartments fill this gap “ecologically, economically and socially neutral”. Whether business travellers, freelancers, commuters or commuters who are in another city during the week, or their companies – they save time and investment with the offer, can book flexibly and benefit from a complete set of amenities, from a made-up bed, towels and a fully equipped kitchen to regular cleaning. In the Laundry Room, everything is also available for an independent laundry cleaning. “Arrive, live away, feel good,” Annabell Unmüßig calls the concept at Black F, which she founded in 2020. It currently has two houses in Freiburg with 192 serviced apartments for short-, mid- and long-stay stays: the Black F House and, since last year, also the climate-neutral 16-storey Black F Tower with Germany's largest green façade, as they say.
Annabell Unmüßig founded the Black F Serviced Apartments in 2022. © BLACK F
“Companies are our main customers, but private individuals also use us for longer stays – for example, for medical treatments, family visits or longer holidays with two or more people,” says the managing director, who is planning a nationwide expansion with Black. “Demand is looking for the right product – and at the same time alleviates the housing shortage. A short-term business traveler or a city tourist with a stay of one or two days has different needs than someone who wants to pass their three-month probationary period or a visiting professorship. And again, different needs and requirements than someone who wants to live permanently in a city with their family for years. Different needs and conditions require different offers in a city and complement each other. So hotels, holiday apartments and serviced apartments compete with each other. And I am convinced that Serviced Apartments will play an even greater and more important role in the accommodation industry in the future.”
Work and relax even for weeks abroad – the common area at the Black F House in Freiburg. © BLACK F