Tired of working from home? Hotels in major US cities want you to work there instead
If the coronavirus pandemic has forced you to turn your living room into your home office, you may be ready for a change of scenery.
If so, you’re in luck — hotels across the U.S. want you to ditch the home office and work from their rooms, instead.
The hospitality industry has been one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with about half of hotels rooms in the U.S. still unoccupied, Northstar Meetings Group reported.
A survey by the American Hospitality Association found that 87% of hotels have had to lay off or furlough workers due to the pandemic.
To get people in their doors, hotels are repurposing their rooms and suites into rent-by-day office space.
In Los Angeles, the Hotel Figueroa has launched a program called Work Perks that allows guests to rent luxurious suites from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. complete with a living area, executive desk and plenty of outlets, according to the hotel’s website.
“They want a calming and relaxing atmosphere, away from the distractions of working at home,” Managing Director Connie Wang told CNN. “For some people, this has become a real treat.”
The rooms at “The Fig” are equipped with high speed internet, an in-suite coffee machine and access to the hotel’s pool and fitness rooms. Office guests are also allowed unlimited use of the hotel’s copy machine.
The rooms are 350 square feet and rent for $129 a day, CNN reported. Want to stay the night? Tack another $20 onto the price, according to the outlet.
MGM Resorts rolled out a similar program at its ARIA and Bellagio hotels in Las Vegas.
Office packages start around $100 and require at least a three-night stay, according to the website. The offices include secure Wi-Fi, a desk and an “executive assistant” to help you make appointments and reservations. You’ll receive a food credit and extended check-in and check-out hours.
Hamilton Hotel in Washington D.C. is offering its own office rentals, allowing people to rent rooms from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m..
In Sante Fe, New Mexico, you can rent a guest room to use as office space at Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi for 10 hours at half the normal rate, CNBC reported.
Suites at the Rosewood Miramar Beach just outside Santa Barbara, California, have also been morphed into offices with computers, printers and other office supplies, according to the outlet. They’re available to rent by the day.
The Ballantyne in Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina, has a slightly different set-up, allowing people to rent out boardrooms for $500 a week, CNN reported.
At Harmon Guest House in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can rent a suite for 12 hours for $300, KPIX reported. For an extra $200, office guests can stay the night.
Thanh Nguyen runs a services business but has been working from home due to the pandemic. He said the hotel’s Altwork Station has allowed him to better concentrate on his work instead of wrangling his three young children at home, according to the outlet.
“They just come marching in and I’m on my Zoom call talking about a presentation that we’re delivering and they’re marching and playing and, you know, it’s cute, it’s humanizing, everybody has to deal with it but it’s a distraction,” he told the outlet.
Circe Sher, president of Piazza Hospitality, which owns Harmon Guest House, said she believes people are going to take advantage of their newfound license to work from home, KPIX reported.
“They’re going to go to different places and escape the noise at home and have the opportunity to really concentrate,” she told the outlet.
