A long term stay place, such as a Residence Inn, is much easier to manage. It's basically like an apartment complex, with a few extras (such as housekeeping, check-in, ...). It functions quite differently than a hotel. It is less involved, it offers considerably less services... it's just simpler (for the lack of a better word). Their market is different, also. The people staying there have completely different expectations. I've stayed almost 15 months (although not continuously) at the same RI and I got to know the place fairly intimately. Think about it - say you have a $80 rate. That's like staying in a "full service" apt. for $2400/mo (+ taxes, of course). Overall I think it can be quite profitable for them.