Bay EwaldEven before hundreds of millions around the globe transitioned to their new remote home workspaces out of necessity, people across industries craved alternate working methods. While daydreaming of what this sort of work freedom might mean, they envisioned these remote work options as things that may help fuel their productivity, spark creativity, and perhaps contribute to a better quality of life.
When the pandemic took hold, many of us found ourselves barricaded between communication app alerts and video meeting calendar invites—without anywhere novel to escape—and the need for more remote work solutions became a rapidly pressing matter.
By the year 2025, Upwork estimates that 22 percent of the entire workforce (roughly 36.2 million Americans) will work remotely. And aside from lounging around in your most comfortable fuzzy slippers with your favorite tunes and a mug of your most delightful French press coffee or warm mug of tea, there’s an overwhelming amount of good that can come from working remotely. Increased productivity, a better work-life balance, and an impact on sustainability and the environment are just a few of the reasons why companies are continuing to inch toward this new work narrative.
But, as things are opening up and the continued distractions from life are once again inching their way into the four walls of a home, people are starting to look elsewhere for creative inspiration, exciting social activities, and new ways to beat the remote-work monotony.
Enter: day rooms as the latest and greatest workspace. What do these recreational daytime rooms have to offer, you ask? Turns out, a whole bunch.
Hotels Are Social Hubs
At its core, a hotel is a place for the modern traveler to come and go, an environment where the workweek can seem a little less mundane and a lot more exciting. The remote worker may enter with their laptop bag in the morning and by evening, they’ll be sitting at the bar with an expertly crafted martini (and perhaps, a new friend or two).
Rachel Moniz, executive vice president of HEI Hotels and Resorts, sums up the experience well, noting that the hotel lobby has a certain look to it — a busy, buzzy one that’s filled with guests and locals, live music, and art—an exciting experience that people want to be a part of.
When we grow weary of socializing with our pup or our spouse, we can seek a safe social haven at hotels. To remote workers, these hotels provide a social aspect similar to what they may find at a co-working space, but with a slightly more intimate and fun vibe. Better yet, should you choose to do so, you can bring your spouse and pet along for the journey, too, with slightly more space to spread out and feel free.
Hotels Feature Plentiful On-Site Dining Opportunities
Hunger during working hours can be an exhausting decision. For many of us, it leads to too many mid-day protein bars or routine leftovers. When the infinite abyss of your at-home fridge, weekly meal prep, or local takeout no longer suffice in that short 10-minute window in between meetings—the on-site dining opportunities at hotels, do.
Hotels grant the gift of convenience. Saunter to the in-lobby market for a pre-made deli sandwich, treat your future clients to margaritas at the pool bar, or fuel up on espresso and croissants at the lobby’s most charming bakery. The choice is yours and typically, it’s just a short stroll away.
Not into the idea of socializing while you eat? Thankfully, with a day use hotel room as your workspace, you can turn toward the finest work day luxury of all—room service.
Hotels Have Flexible Indoor and Outdoor Spaces
Some remote workers enjoy the added perk of a big home to work from. They may have an outdoor patio where the sun doesn’t hit the laptop just so, or a sprawling dining table to spread out, think big, and get to work. For others, the at-home workspace doesn’t cut it when it comes to flexible venues.
Booking a day use hotel offers a myriad of indoor and outdoor spaces to spark inspiration. Prefer to kick your feet up and work by the pool or cozy up in one of the lobby’s fanciest chairs and ottoman sets? How about spreading out on those clean, high-thread-count sheets to get some work done? At a hotel, consider a workspace your oyster. And the best part is, when you tire of one particular type of space, you can move on to the next!
Hotels Mean Personal Space
Despite how much we love our relationships in life, between significant others, kids, pets, and roommates, personal space can be tough to acquire when it comes to accomplishing remote work at home. Day use rooms not only provide workspace, they offer expansive options for personal space as well.
You can stock up on coffee and snacks in the mini-fridge, rely on the bathroom for a midday shower, and even hit the gym or take part in a yoga class to blow off some work-day steam. All of these things enhance the overall work experience and can lead to a more productive and more comfortable “day at the office.”
Hotels Provide Amenities
When you’re in the throes of the workday at home, it can be tough to stay on top of your household amenities. The coffee, unfortunately, does not refill itself. Wi-Fi costs money. And the melodic background music has to be manually turned on.
At a hotel, on the other hand, the provided amenities serve as a promise to remote workers that they can think less about the daily details and focus more on the tasks at hand. Bring on the unlimited coffee, the complimentary Wi-Fi, the peaceful lobby tunes, the regulated air temperature, and the—well, the list goes on. And one of the wonderful things about hotels is that you can hand-select the amenities that appeal to you most (like say, a massage during your lunch hour).
Hotels Boast Convenient Locations
Consider your day room an on-demand workspace near home. If you need to get out of the house, whether it’s planned a week in advance or spontaneously the day of, you can. Without distractions and with no requirement for extensive travel time, the convenience of nearby day use hotel rooms means that you can have a new sort of morning and evening commute.
With both large and small companies, infrastructure challenges can make it difficult to maintain a physical office and they can also make it difficult for employees to reach the office if one is prevalent. Luckily, with places like hotels paving the way as the digital workforce unfolds, heading to “the office” is no longer stressful. Instead, it becomes convenient.
Hotels Offer a Sense of Freedom
Packing a bag, starting the car, and heading to a hotel—whether it’s for a day trip, an overnight, or a week-long vacation—is synonymous with a sense of freedom. Today, working in hotels provides that same sort of thrill. It’s the idea of “getting away” that can fuel us forward into new ideas, more productive workdays, and an overall sense of happiness.
As a bonus, you’re now granted the opportunity to choose the space and the hotel that speaks to you. From modern in-room spaces with expansive ergonomic workstations to rustic environments with long wooden tables meant for co-working, what sort of space lets you do your best work? The options are seemingly infinite and today, it’s up to you to choose what works best.
Whether it’s a newfound sense of freedom, a social hub, or a luxurious midday, in-room dining experience you’re searching for, day use hotel rooms are helping remote workers everywhere to work, thrive, and love what they do and where they do it.
In the words of our CEO and founder Yannis Moati:
“Even if people don’t immediately head back to the office, there is a new demand for a safe, socially distanced space that can serve as some sort of respite.”
May your next day room booking provide you with just that—a safe respite for your work and your well-being.
Image Credit:
“Woman in white robe on bed” by Anastasiia Chepinska via Unsplash
All other photos courtesy of HotelsByDay partners.
Latest posts by Bay Ewald (see all)
- Ergonomic Tips for Remote Workers - May 14, 2024
- Day Rooms As Workspaces—The Future of Remote Work? - September 29, 2022
- To Fly or Not to Fly? — Has “Flight Shaming” Changed the Travel Industry? - June 23, 2022