On assignment in Bagnols-sur-Cèze: apartment or hotel, the real maths

A three-week assignment at Marcoule, a two-month job on the CEA site, a one-week audit in Bagnols-sur-Cèze: the accommodation question always comes after the schedule, and is often settled by default with a hotel. Here is the maths done by those who come back regularly to the Gard rhodanien.

What a week of hotel really costs

The displayed room rate is only part of the bill. Over a week on assignment, add:

• evening meals eaten out, for lack of a kitchen;
• laundry, or the Friday trip home loaded with washing;
• parking, rarely included in town centres;
• time spent looking for where to eat, wash and work in peace.

For a five-night stay, these items easily add up to the equivalent of two extra nights.

What a furnished apartment changes

An apartment such as Le Patio de la Cèze, in central Bagnols, rents by the week or the month with:

• an equipped kitchen: shop at the Wednesday market or the supermarket six minutes away, and eat in;
• a washing machine and bed linen provided;
• a work table with Ethernet, and air conditioning for July video calls;
• two bedrooms: two colleagues on assignment share the place and split the bill;
• an invoice in the company's name, sent at the end of the stay.

The maths over a month

Over a one-month assignment, the gap widens. The monthly rate of an apartment is reduced, the tourist tax stays modest, and the rest of the bill (meals, laundry, parking) almost disappears. Two people in a two-bedroom bring the cost per person below that of a single room.

The point to check is your employer's expense policy: most accept a furnished accommodation invoice in the same way as a hotel invoice, provided it is in the company's name and itemised. Ours are.

What you lose, honestly

No breakfast served, no 24-hour reception. In exchange, check-in is self-service at any hour, and one person answers if there is a question. For an assignment of more than four nights, the balance clearly tips.

In practice

Send us the dates, the headcount and the company name from the business page: we reply within two business hours with a quote and a pro forma invoice if your purchasing department needs one.