Apartments

A rooftop terrace on a condominium in Miami is certainly a great place to hang out but when you add a brilliant contemporary design, a bar area and trendy, large commercial planters, well then it becomes THE place to be.

That's what the creators of the stunning Brickell Ten condominium project at 1010 SW Second Ave. in Miami accomplished. And part of that appealing design can be seen in the stylish finishing touches to their roof and outdoor pool area on the fifth floor.

The designers installed several large commercial planters with a smooth metallic-like finish supplied by The Park and Facilities Catalog. These charcoal-colored commercial planters give the outdoor spaces a sleek, high-tech appearance.

The molded fiberglass commercial planters measured 72 x 72 x 72 and 36 x 36 x 36. Mini-palm trees were planted inside to coincide with the clean, avant-garde design within a tropical setting of South Florida.

"I just think they are gorgeous,"

Bicycle commuters are willing to pay extra fees for secure, indoor bike rooms

One of the best ways to offer more amenities to guests and residents while also growing business is by establishing fees for extra services. People are willing to pay for additional features and understand that the fees go towards administrative costs.

Charging additional fees is a viable path for growing your business. It provides additional income to put back into the property, allowing it to stay up-to-date and in tip-top shape. These new upgrades make it appealing for visitors from younger demographics to revisit your facility and, better yet, bring their friends.

These are also known as ancillary-revenue programs—or any revenue outside of the main ticket price or rent. Those revenues could be significant. It's why airlines charge you for baggage fees and food. United earns the most from this type of revenue, with $6.2 billion in 2015 non-ticket revenue.

Whether you run a multifamily community

By adding just a few key site furnishings, apartments can boost curb appeal significantly

In this digital age, because today's renters have a very short attention span, quickly enhance your apartment's curb appeal with a combination of commercial planters, outdoor park benches and picnic tables.

It's a new world out there. Think about how fast Millenials zip through pages on their smartphones and tablets. Now think about how fast they are going to evaluate your apartment community if you don't have the absolute best curb appeal.

Research shows people make first impressions and generalizations in less than a second. So, while they are walking up the entrance to your community, their minds are already making judgments, putting  your property into either a positive or negative mental bucket for review later.

Many potential renters drive by a property first. They might make a decision about an apartment community without even getting out of their car. Experts advise property managers to

More apartment communities now offer bicycle storage amenitie

Ever take a shower with a bike? Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But the bathtub is one option many apartment dwellers are now using for bike storage these days because frankly, they have no choice.

That may soon change across the country as some savvy apartment communities  now offer bicycle storage amenities to meet the demand from Millennials.

There are a couple of cultural shifts taking place in America that property managers, architects and builders would be wise to embrace.

First of all, the next generation of renters and frankly, high wage-earners and family-starters are now Millennials - those born from 1981 to 1997. The babies of Baby Boomers. This is the generation that is taking over the reins from the Boomer generation, who are now retiring at the rate of 10,000 per day.

This is the green generation. Bicycling to them is now preferable to driving in terms of impact on the environment. According to the Federal Highway Administration,