Hotel Room Demand Surges as Remote Workers Seek Alternate Work Options

A new survey reveals 65% of Americans book hotel rooms for work from one to four times a month. Experts point to the sudden shift to remote work during the pandemic creating a growing trend called “work-from-hotel.”

That seems to be confirmed by a recent survey from career website Zippia showing that 86% of employees who work from home full-time experience burnout, and 52% of remote workers say they miss changing scenery every day.

To deal with this, remote workers have been shifting towards working from anywhere, including cafes, libraries, and coworking spaces. In the past year, concepts like “workstations,” “leisure travel,” and “staycations” began trending. 

Why Are Remote Workers Opting For Hotels?

In reality, workers' desire to switch up their environment comes in at second at 15%. 

According to the aforementioned Passport Photo survey, 23% of Americans also preferred to work from a hotel because they could meet clients in a professional setting, and 19.37% voted IT support as the most desirable hotel feature.

Some of the other reasons cited in the survey:

• Advantages of services available
• Work in a city where you don't have an address
• Escaping distractions
• Earning hotel points

Jens Johansson, founder of Airport Information says, “In the United States, my experience at the Hoxton Hotel in Chicago was exceptional. The hotel hosts a unique coworking space known as workingfrom_, offering an array of environments for different working styles. One of my most memorable experiences in Bali, Indonesia, was at Roam Ubud. This boutique hotel truly understood the needs of a remote worker, which made the work part of my trip seamless and enjoyable.”

The same survey also reveals that 32% claim to have a higher level of creativity when working from a hotel room instead of the usual workspace. 

“I'm an expat in Spain, but it gets incredibly hot here in summer, so I've taken advantage of work from hotel packages several times to allow me to work somewhere else, either in the north of Spain or elsewhere in Europe, to escape the heat. Moreover, being in a different environment has sparked my creativity as a travel blogger.” said Anna Hamilton, founder of Spain Inspired.

Similarly, Candela Garcia, founder of The Cost of Travel, shared her experience working from a hotel in Peru. She was invited to a destination wedding but had to work, and a house full of party people wasn't an ideal environment. 

Garcia says, “I quickly began exploring my options and discovered that the Selina Hotel in Máncora offered a coworking space accessible even to non-guests for a fixed fee of USD 10, so I booked a pass for the two working days.

“I got the chance to access all the hotel's amenities, which included an incredible beachfront pool and daily activities such as yoga and functional training. Instead of feeling like the poor girl working during holidays, I strategically planned my work schedule to include early morning yoga, relaxing pool breaks, and the best ceviche lunches I have ever tasted.” 

Are Hotels Catching On to The Trend?

Hoxton Hotels wasn’t the only chain marketing their advantages for remote workers. Other hotels and resorts now offer work-from-hotel packages for multi-day stays. 

Aleenta Resorts in Thailand launched their Work from Host package earlier this year.  

Similarly, ​​Sea Containers London launched a new “Commuter Club” subscription service with amenities like “Cabin Trunk” for storing work files and clothes until your next visit.

Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese and Velas Resorts in Mexico also offer work-from-hotel packages.

Other hotels offer space to work for a nominal fee. However, it is interesting that 35% of remote workers prefer multi-day stays, with day-only packages coming in third at 20%.  

The Hoxton Hotel in Chicago is one example of a day-only package. They offer packages from $125 monthly for side hustlers to over $4000 for a private studio. Workers who are visiting Chicago or want to get out of the rut can work at their space for just $30 for the day — with bottomless teas and coffees included.

Similarly, Selina Hotel in Máncora, Peru, offers a coworking space at the nominal rate of $10 and provides Wi-Fi, complimentary coffee/tea, and amenities. Some sites like Dayuse can help travelers book hotels for daylight hours.

“The ‘work from hotel' trend started over the pandemic and continues to be a vibrant part of our culture at Walker Tribeca,” says Suzi Deangelis, Regional Director of Sales & Marketing at Walker Hotels. “We consistently see hotel guests and locals working through the day. Our most recent response to further embrace the trend is the use of the Day Use app, which allows customers to purchase time slots in guest rooms of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., noon to 8 p.m., or 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week for approximately 50% off the nightly room rate.

“The increase in work-from-hotel traffic has added a minimum of $10,000 weekly to the bottom line for our 173-room hotel. The hotel is also looking to add early happy hours with light bites and entertainment to make the experience even more appealing,” Deangelis says.

Is Work-From-Hotel as Easy as It Sounds?

While travelers have great things to say about work-from-hotel, some also expressed concerns about cost and safety. 

“My experience has been fantastic, but it comes with a price. The convenience of having everything at your fingertips, from room service to a quiet workspace, fuels productivity.

Suzanne Bucknam, CEO of Connecticut Explorer says, “To sustain this lifestyle varies greatly, depending on the location and the type of hotel. But based on my experience and some research, you should be prepared to spend anywhere from $60 to $200 per night on average for a decent hotel room in most parts of the world. If you plan to live this lifestyle full-time, you'd need to earn between $2,200 and $6,000 monthly after tax. This is a rough estimate, and the prices can vary during peak season, holiday season, etc.”

Unless budget is not a problem, the way around the finance issues could be to stay someplace else and buy day passes to hotels with coworking spaces and desirable amenities. 

“I had a great experience with Furama Riverfront Hotel in Singapore, which offered a really good and relatively affordable WF-Hotel package at around $12,” Jonathan Merry from Money Transfers says. “At Furama, it's comfortable and roomy, and many seats have power outlets. I could take on my online meetings and fulfill my entrepreneurial duties while at the hotel. You can get coffee, tea, juices, and water on the free-flow drinks menu, which is normal. You also receive a $7.50 meal credit.”

Besides cost, remote workers should also understand the risks of using public Wi-Fi. About 40% of workers had their information compromised while using public Wi-Fi, and a whopping 43% believe public Wi-Fi is somewhat safe, according to Forbes. Remote workers can stay safer online using VPNs, portable chargers, and devices like Firewalla Purple, which creates a secondary network and monitors for suspicious activities.  

What Does The Future of Work-From-Hotel Look Like?

With companies insisting that employees start working from offices, there is still some uncertainty about the future of the work-from-hotel trend. That said, workers still prefer to opt for jobs with work-from-home options.

There are expected to be 36.2 million American employees working remotely by 2025, according to Zippia.

Companies might have to adapt to a hybrid model to retain top talent. If they do decide to shift to a hybrid model completely, they will have to downsize offices, which is good and bad news for the demand for workspaces some hotels provide.

When asked, only 6% of Americans were against their employers offering a work-from-hotel benefit as part of their employment package. Another 6% were indifferent. The rest said they'd welcome the new perk with open arms.

This article was produced by Media Decision and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.