The serviced apartment sector in the Urban global South: Evidence from Johannesburg, South Africa

The lodging sector is the focus of a substantial body of academic literature contributed from a range of disciplinary perspectives albeit mainly by hospitality management and tourism scholars. One form of lodging that has been somewhat neglected is the serviced apartment sector. This research investigates the development and characteristics of the serviced apartment sector in the urban global South with evidence drawn from Johannesburg, South Africa. The study analyses global industry reports, conducted an internet-mediated audit of serviced apartments in South Africa and qualitative interviews with key property developers and other stakeholders in the Johannesburg serviced apartment sector. It is revealed that the character of this emerging lodging form in South Africa exhibits certain parallels with the global North. Serviced apartments cater mainly for business travellers and in particular visiting professionals on short-term contract work assignments, a significant element of the changing nature of international business travel.