Services included in your accommodation costs
Orientation
Most students and visitors will go to their destination immediately from the airport. Our host will usually spend extra time with the students and guests, explain how the different appliances work, show him or her around the neighborhood, the subway/bus locations and where the shops, restaurants, library, and other important neighborhood places are located.
If you would like additional information, we will be more than happy to explain to you:
-how to get around the city
-how to access public transportation
-how are the different neighborhoods
-what are the do's and don'ts for safety purposes
-where there are internet access points
-how to open a bank account
-how to make international calls and what phone cards to buy
-what are the "must see" sights and cultural activities
-where the great restaurants and shopping areas are
If you are staying in New York, we would ask you to come to our office for orientation. Our address is 1 West 34th Street Suite 702 New York, NY 10001. Tel (212) 564-5979. Our office is situated between 5th and 6th Avenues.
If you are in any of our other locations, we would arrange for you to meet with our Housing Manager at a central meeting place where you can both sit down, talk about your initial experience and our Housing Manager can give you the orientation over a refreshing beverage.
During your stay
We usually follow up with calls or visits from time to time see that all is well and that you are enjoying your experience. We encourage students and guests to call us if they have any problems or need guidance on certain issues, and we are truly available day and night to answer any questions and resolve any problem students may have.
Additional Services available for an extra fee
Airport Transfer (one way or both ways)
You can order an airport transfer as part of your accommodation services. We have ensured that the Airport Transfer Service you receive from us is first class.
We will check on your flight information before proceeding to the airport so as to be sure that there are no errors with the flight information that gave us and that it is the correct airport and time.
Our driver will of course wait for you INSIDE the terminal with a sign with your name on it. The driver already has your destination information and will take you there without you having to explain anything. If it is a homestay destination, our driver will make certain that the host is there via phone. The driver will ring the bell and wait for the host to respond before leaving
For international flights, our driver will be present in the meeting gallery (arrivals) and display the sign 30 minutes after the flight has landed. The driver will wait for up to 1 hour for the passenger to come out of customs.
For national flights, our drivers will be present in the meeting gallery and display the sign 15 minutes after the flight has landed and will wait for up to 1 hour for the passenger.
Dinner
This is a service that is available for an extra fee with our homestay accommodation options. It is a home-cooked meal prepared by our host and served at a time that is mutually convenient for both you and the host. You can choose to have dinner for the full duration of your stay or for just part of it. Dinner is served 7 days per week.
Health & Liability Insurance
All our guests are required to have Health & Liability insurance in case they get sick and need to go back home or damage anything in the accommodation that they cannot afford to replace. Sara's Homestay has a comprehensive insurance package available that covers you in any of our locations for Health, relocation and property damage. A summary of benefits will be made available during the reservation process.
Guided Tours for short-term stays
While staying in any of our locations, you have the opportunity to experience the culture, sights, sounds and people of that city by selecting our guided tour package. We offer private (one-to-one) walking or public transportation tours which include sightseeing, shopping, history and culture. Tour packages are a minimum of 10 hours.
Private English Conversation Lessons
While staying in any of our US locations (New York, Miami, Los Angeles or San Francisco) we can arrange for a native English speaker to have one-to-one private English conversation lessons with you. The lessons will either be conducted at your accommodation or can be arranged at a café or park or wherever else that may be suitable for you and the teacher. All our teachers are experienced ESL teachers and this would be a wonderful complement to your ESL classes that you are taking at school!
