Whether it’s Fluffy jumping on your keyboard or home-schooled kids banging on the door because they want a snack during your virtual meeting, many work-from-home professionals are looking for a break.
And, as hotels reopened to lighter occupancy rates due to COVID-19, the opportunity presented itself.
Across the country, hotels are renting space for hourly and daily rates to give people the chance to hold meetings, in-person interviews or virtual meetings on a big screen without distractions.
Plus, guests get a needed break out of the house.
AC Marriott in downtown Tucson has started offering both daytime rental of rooms and hourly rental of office suites.
“With the pandemic and people not being able to work from home, they’re looking to outsource an office,” said Luis Galvan, the hotel’s general manager. “They’re looking for somewhere to meet someone or get away from the family for a little bit to focus.”
The hotel, at 151 E. Broadway, is offering the use of media salons that can accommodate up to six people for $25 an hour with Wi-Fi included. The rooms include a desk, seating and a television screen that connects to most apps.
Hotel rooms are also available during business hours — typically 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. — with the media salon rental so people can schedule multiple meetings and have a place to retreat for lunch or a nap and TV time, Galvan said.
The business day rate for the room is $99.
“We’ve had a very good response,” he said. “Some people really miss having an office and the ability to focus.”
The rooms are sanitized and all surfaces wiped down between customers.
Other extended-stay hotels in the Tucson area that cater to business travelers are also offering day rates for guests that want to get away for the day.
“In response to the unprecedented disruptions caused by the pandemic, including a near total halt to all corporate travel and meetings, hotels from coast to coast have offered up guest rooms for office use,” according to Barron’s magazine. “For some, working from home isn’t a comfortable or realistic option — family distractions, annoying roommates, and spotty internet connections are common culprits — and for those concerned about social distancing, it doesn’t get more private than working alone out of a hotel room.”
