The math is surprisingly simple: stay longer, pay less per night. While traditional hotels charge premium rates for short stays, extended stay properties offer savings that can cut your accommodation costs by 60% when you book 60 nights or more through programs like Extended Stay America’s Extended Plus Program. But the sweet spot for savings kicks in much sooner than you might think.

The Break-Even Point: When Extended Stays Make Financial Sense

The magic number where extended stays become financially compelling? About seven nights. Choice Hotels calculates weekly savings off the nightly rate for stays of at least 7 days, with discounts varying by property and dates. Extended Stay America offers special rates for stays between 7-14 nights, 15-29 nights and 30+ nights that automatically appear when you search for week-long stays or longer.

Here’s what you can expect to pay monthly: Extended stay hotels range from $1,000 to over $4,000 per month, depending on location and amenities. Breaking that down by tier:

• Budget Extended Stay Hotels: $1,500 – $2,500 per month

• Mid-Range Extended Stay Hotels: $2,500 – $3,500 per month
• Luxury Extended Stay Hotels: $3,500 – $4,500+ per month

Compare this to traditional hotels where the average cost in Los Angeles is $194 for a weeknight and $216 for a weekend night. Over a month, that adds up to roughly $6,000-$6,500 just for the room. According to recent industry analysis, extended-stay hotels have demonstrated superior operational efficiency and inflation-resistant profitability compared to traditional full-service hotels.

What You Get for Your Money

The Kitchen Advantage

The real game-changer isn’t just the lower nightly rate—it’s the full kitchen. Extended stay suites include full-size kitchens with stove, refrigerator, microwave, and coffee maker. The costs of eating out add up fast, especially over an extended trip. When you’re spending $50 per day on restaurant meals, that’s $1,500 per month. Cut that in half by cooking some meals yourself, and you’ve saved another $750 monthly.

Space and Comfort That Feels Like Home

Extended stay hotels offer residential-style studios and 1-bedroom suites with well-defined areas for working and unwinding. Extended Stay America features spacious suites with full kitchens, free wi-fi and enough space to make your own. Plus, flexible, on-site laundry options are available day or night, eliminating expensive hotel laundry services.

Choice Hotels’ extended stay brands like MainStay Suites, Suburban Studios, and Everhome Suites provide apartment-style suites with well-defined areas for working, relaxing, and dining. This is a far cry from cramped traditional hotel rooms where your suitcase becomes your dresser.

No Hidden Surprises

Traditional hotels often hit you with resort fees, parking charges, and internet access costs. Extended stay properties provide transparent, all-inclusive rates. Extended Stay America offers affordable nightly rates with no hidden fees and a flexible cancellation policy, while all utilities like electricity, gas, water, and internet are included in the monthly rate.

When Traditional Hotels Still Win

Let’s be honest—extended stays aren’t always the right choice. For weekend getaways or business trips under a week, traditional hotels often provide better value and convenience. Traditional hotels excel at short-term hospitality with robust concierge services, daily housekeeping, on-site restaurants, and prime locations in city centers. If you’re only staying three nights, paying a premium for these conveniences makes sense.

Smart Booking Strategies for Extended Stays

Join the Rewards Programs for Extra Savings

Extended Stay America’s Extended Perks program offers free membership with instant benefits including exclusive member rates, registration discounts, and free perks like early check-in and late check-out on stays of 7+ nights. Members also get access to discounts on thousands of national and local brands including restaurants, rental cars, theme parks, and retail shopping.

Choice Hotels’ Choice Privileges rewards program provides member rates and points toward free nights, with special earning rates for extended stay brands based on length of stay.

Consider Your Total Costs

Utilities like electricity, water, WiFi, and basic furnishings including kitchen supplies, utensils, bedding, and towels add up quickly in apartment rentals. Extended stay hotels include all these essentials, making cost comparisons with apartment rentals more complex than they initially appear.

According to industry market research, the extended stay hotel market is expected to grow from $62.8 billion in 2025 to $143.2 billion by 2035, driven by increased business travel, rising relocation trends, and growing preference for cost-effective, flexible lodging options.

Location Flexibility

Major extended stay brands offer properties nationwide. Extended Stay America has 700+ locations across three brands, giving you options to choose suburban locations with lower rates while maintaining easy access to city centers.

Growing Market Demand

The extended stay sector has proven remarkably resilient. During the COVID-19 pandemic, extended stays maintained roughly 60% occupancy, outperforming the national average by almost 16%. The segment’s RevPAR grew 8% during the pandemic while the rest of the industry declined 17%.

Recent performance data shows extended-stay occupancy running 10.6 percentage points above the total hotel industry, reflecting strong and consistent demand for this accommodation type.

For family travelers, extended stays become even more attractive. Choice Hotels welcomes pets as part of the family through their pet-friendly extended stay properties, and the extra space means kids aren’t climbing the walls in a cramped hotel room.

The bottom line: if you’re staying a week or longer, extended stay hotels offer genuine savings and comfort that traditional hotels simply can’t match. Your wallet—and your sense of home-away-from-home—will thank you.