Business for furnished apartments is expected to pick up with the end of Eid holidays.

Some are already having about 50 percent or higher occupancy rate, mainly because some guests from various parts of the Gulf, such as the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait who booked during Ramadan, have arrived.

“They booked for one month to spend the holidays in the Saudi capital. One of the them, a Kuwaiti, has spent almost one month with us,” said Jaafar Amid, manager of Al-Mamsa Housing Units in Suleimania district.

He expressed the hope though that as the long-staying guests leave, others “from various parts of Saudi Arabia will come to Riyadh and book with us.”

“These guests find our rates competitive and affordable compared to the hotels which charge exorbitant rates. They can stay with us for five days or more for the amount they pay for one day for a hotel room,” he said.

He said that furnished apartments benefit from the fact that the Saudi capital boasts of many things that make it attractive for residents of other parts of the Kingdom.

“They come for a short vacation or to consult with experienced and highly-skilled doctors,” he said.

But while business has started to pick up for some furnished apartments, others are still recovering from the 20 percent occupancy rate they had during Ramadan.

The Al-Roken Furnished Suites, for instance, has only a few guests but the manager expressed optimism that since the Eid holidays are over, the regular guests from various parts of the Kingdom will soon come back.

“They stay with us from one week to one month during normal days.” he said.

His only concern is the fact that the number of furnished apartments in the district and other area is increasing.

He said that these new accommodation facilities pose stiff competition for them because they are not only bigger but also offer the same rates.

“The reception area also looks more attractive for the discerning guests looking for good value for money,” said a manager of another accommodation facility.

But what’s important for the time being, he said, is “for our regular guests to come back and bail us out of our predicament of having only a few guests.”

“We have overhead costs and water and electric bills and we’re required to come up with return on investment,” he said.