Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Basic Overnight Quarters Review #10

Which property management company did you use?

What was the approximate START date for your stay?

March 2015

What was the approximate END date for your stay?

July 2015

You stated that you used Basic Overnight Quarters (BOQ).  Where was your apartment located?

Overall Satisfaction
On a scale of 1 to 5, please rate your level of satisfaction with the following:
Overall, how satisfied were you with your location and direct billing option?

Satisfied

How likely would you be to choose the same direct billing company next time?

Likely

Basic Questions
How much notice did the direct billing program (Oakwood, BOQ, NCH) give you for your housing assignment?

1 week to 1 month

How many family members (including yourself) were on your orders at the time of this housing assignment?
Number of Adults (age 19+): 2

Number of Children (age 0-4): 1

Number of Children (age 5-12): 0

Number of Teenagers (age 13-18): 0

How many bedrooms did your apartment have?

2

How many pets stayed with you?

0

Tell us what your apartment complex and neighborhood had to offer.
Please check each amenity provided by your apartment complex.

swimming pool, work-out facility, covered parking, transportation to and from FSI or Main State, weekly maid service, community/party room, high speed internet, cable or satellite TV, washer and dryer in apartment

Please check each item that your neighborhood offered within close proximity to your apartment.

playground, dog-friendly park, restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, coffee shops, Metro or bus stop, car share program (such as ZipCar), Capitol Bikeshare, mall or shopping center

How far is the walk to the nearest Metro station?

0-5 minutes

How far is the walk to the nearest ART bus stop that runs to FSI?

0-5 minutes

How far is the walk to the nearest Capitol Bikeshare station?

0-5 minutes

How far is the walk to the nearest car share program (such as ZipCar)?

0-5 minutes

Was the nearest grocery store within walking or driving distance?

0-5 minute walk

Satisfaction Questions
On a scale of 1 to 5, please rate your level of satisfaction with the following:
Size of apartment for your family size

Satisfied

Storage Space

Unsatisfied

Quality of "Welcome Kit" provided

Neutral

Quality of housekeeping services

Satisfied

If you ever had an issue with the quality of housekeeping services provided, was the issue ever resolved to your satisfaction?

Not Applicable

Quality of furniture provided

Satisfied

Proximity to the Metro

Very Satisfied

Please name the closest Metro stop.

Rosslyn

Proximity to FSI

Satisfied

Proximity to grocery store(s)

Very Satisfied

Please list the grocery stores near your building.

Safeway

Responsiveness of program (Oakwood, BOQ, NCH) to service calls

Neutral

How many times have you stayed with each of the directly billed apartment programs?
BOQ: 1

NCH: 0

Oakwood: 0

National Corporate Housing Review #12

Which property management company did you use?

What was the approximate START date for your stay?

February 2014

What was the approximate END date for your stay?

August 2015

You stated that you used National Corporate Housing (NCH). Where was your apartment located?

Overall Satisfaction
On a scale of 1 to 5, please rate your level of satisfaction with the following:
Overall, how satisfied were you with your location and direct billing option?

Very Satisfied

How likely would you be to choose the same direct billing company next time?

Very Likely

Basic Questions
How much notice did the direct billing program (Oakwood, BOQ, NCH) give you for your housing assignment?

1 week to 1 month

How many family members (including yourself) were on your orders at the time of this housing assignment?
Number of Adults (age 19+): 2

Number of Children (age 0-4):0

Number of Children (age 5-12): 0

Number of Teenagers (age 13-18): 0

How many bedrooms did your apartment have?

2

How many pets stayed with you?

1

How much was the pet fee per pet?

$200

Tell us what your apartment complex and neighborhood had to offer.
Please check each amenity provided by your apartment complex.

swimming pool, work-out facility, covered parking, business center, transportation to and from FSI or Main State, weekly maid service, community/party room, high speed internet, cable or satellite TV, washer and dryer in apartment

Please check each item that your neighborhood offered within close proximity to your apartment.

playground, library, dog-friendly park, restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, coffee shops, Metro or bus stop, car share program (such as ZipCar), Capitol Bikeshare, mall or shopping center

How far is the walk to the nearest Metro station?

0-5 minutes

How far is the walk to the nearest ART bus stop that runs to FSI?

0-5 minutes

How far is the walk to the nearest Capitol Bikeshare station?

0-5 minutes

How far is the walk to the nearest car share program (such as ZipCar)?

0-5 minutes

Was the nearest grocery store within walking or driving distance?

0-5 minute walk

Satisfaction Questions
On a scale of 1 to 5, please rate your level of satisfaction with the following:
Size of apartment for your family size

Very Satisfied

Storage Space

Very Satisfied

Quality of "Welcome Kit" provided

Satisfied

Please share what items were included in the welcome kit.

All kitchen items, most were not great quality but they were new. Bedding, mostly new, ok quality bedspread was like something from the 60s. Towels were decent. Bath items like toothbrush holder were a bit worn but ok.  The kit was as good or much better than the other corporate housing places.

Quality of housekeeping services

Satisfied

If you ever had an issue with the quality of housekeeping services provided, was the issue ever resolved to your satisfaction?

Not Applicable

Quality of furniture provided

Satisfied

Proximity to the Metro

Very Satisfied

Please name the closest Metro stop.

Pentagon City

Proximity to FSI

Satisfied

Proximity to grocery store(s)

Very Satisfied

Please list the grocery stores near your building.

Harris Teeter within 2 blocks, Giant on Columbia Pike, 5 min drive or bus.

Responsiveness of program (Oakwood, BOQ, NCH) to service calls

Very Satisfied

Please share any comments you might have regarding customer service and responsiveness of the program to service calls.

We had an air conditioning problem on a hot summer holiday weekend, they had the building maintenance crew there within hours. The concierge at the building was also excellent and always offered to follow up on maintenance requests.

How many times have you stayed with each of the directly billed apartment programs?
BOQ: 0

NCH: 1

Oakwood: 2

If you have stayed in this particular housing before, was this a deciding factor for you to return and why?

This was the first time with NCH. I would have stayed at Oakwood again but I have an adult EFM and Oakwood would not commit to giving me a 2BR apartment at the time of reservation. NCH would and we liked the location better.

Please use this space to share any additional thoughts about this particular direct billing program and the apartment where you stayed.

The experience with NCH was overall excellent. We had one glitch when we had to extend our stay for medical treatment. NCH agreed but 1401Joyce took back the lease so we were forced to move. NCH offered us another newer property nearby but moving was going to be a big hassle because we had already purchased consumables and we couldn't find a mover to help on short notice. NCH took responsibility and several execs from their office including the regional manager rented a van and personally helped us move! I think that is excellent customer service and I'd use NCH again in a heartbeat.

In general NCHs apartments were newer and furnishings nicer than Oakwood Rosslyn or Crystal City. The gym and party rooms at 1401 Joyce were nice The big park across the street was very convenient for walking my dog and there were always other dogs to play with. This property did not seem to have the dog size limits that other properties have in the area, if you have a St. Bernard this may be your place.

The NCH shuttle times were mostly tailored to the latest A-100 schedule and weren't always the most convenient for my FSI schedule. However the shuttle driver was incredibly nice, especially to my elderly EFM. Staying in Pentagon City worked well for us and we preferred it to the noisy Rosslyn corridor where you are on the flight path from DCA and  the fire station and delivery trucks never stop. I highly recommend NCH and its properties around Pentagon City.