The common drivers for hotel accommodation are tourism and business travel and hotel demand seem to outstrip supply in many places. More than 50 % of visitors to Sweden stay at a traditional hotel but is there room for alternate accommodation like serviced apartments besides the traditional hotel for people visiting? These are usually referred to as extended stay or long-stay accommodation. The aim of this thesis project is to explore whether there are growth opportunities for serviced apartments in Sweden. A secondary aim of the thesis project is to identify challenges (if any) to this segment and also to identify the major operators of serviced apartments in Sweden. The research has been conducted through literature review, survey and interviews. The findings are that there seem to be growth opportunities particularly in the Stockholm area, even though there are issues that need to be addressed by the industry such as its fragmented nature and to keep up with company traveler programs and policies. The research also found that the major operators in Sweden are small, independent and national. Efterfrågan på hotellrum drivs framförallt av turist och affärsresenärer och på manga ställen verkar efterfrågan vara större än efterfrågan. Mer än hälften av turisterna som kommer till Sverige bor på ett traditionellt hotell när de kommer på besök och övernattar men finns det utrymme för alternativt boende som lägenheter med självhushållning? Syftet med detta examensarbete är att undersöka huruvida det finns tillväxtmöjligheter för segmentet självhushållda lägenheter (s.k. long-stay) tillhandahållna av operatörer. Syftet är också (om än sekundärt) att identifiera utmaningar för denna bransch samt vilka de största operatörerna är? Information har samlats in via genomgång av befintlig litteratur på ämnet, via enkätundersökning och intervjuer. Slutsatsen är att det verkar finnas tillväxtmöjligheter, framförallt i Stockholm även om branschen står inför flera utmaningar såsom tydlighet med produkten. Operatörerna i Sverige är identifierade som små, fristående och nationella.

Motel life has existed in the United States for over 100 years. However, it was not until the HEARTH Act in 2009 changed the federal definition of homelessness that those who live in motels more or less permanently were considered homeless persons. This project utilizes qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 18 families with children who are living in motels to explore their experiences with motel life and social service providers, their housing identity, and identity management strategies. Findings show that most of the motel residents did not identify with the conventional definition or image of homelessness and instead negotiated the term to fit their situation. Although they did not initially self-identify as homeless, when discussing policy recommendations all participants adopted a homeless social-identity (i.e., they identified as members of the homeless social category). As members of the homeless community, the participants agreed that homeless families in the area needed more attention and assistance. Participants were aware that outsiders would view them as homeless and during their interviews several identity management strategies were used. Motel residents described a hierarchy of homelessness and placed themselves at the top of it, perceiving themselves to be better people than even other motel residents. The identity management strategies employed by the participants were meant to show how they were good people who were just stuck in a motel because of circumstances outside of their control and how they were deserving of assistance to help their families move out of the motel and obtain adequate, permanent housing.