Hotels pivot business model during pandemic to double as office space

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- Instead of booking a hotel room for a travel vacation, you could book one down the street for work instead. 

As people are still working from home, some are renting a hotel room or a meeting room as their personal office. Marriott Area Director of Sales Telia Butler lists all the amenities they offer to aid people in their work. 

“There’s free WiFi so you can check all of your emails, or work on that presentation or get on a Zoom call. You’ve got a large desk work area and you’ve got a bed and ‘hang out’ area too. So you can take a break or take a nap or do whatever you need to do there,” said Butler.  

Elizabeth Mount, Hyatt Place Area Director of Sales, says people may rent rooms because they need a new space.

“They’re just trying to get out of the atmosphere they’ve been in, they’ve been locked up since March, so they just want a change of atmosphere, just something new and different. I would say that’s probably why we’re seeing an increase in business people trying to get into hotel rooms at this time,” said Mount. 

And hotel rooms are especially beneficial for people who don’t have the quietest home environment to work from. 

As less people are traveling, this is a way for hotels to be innovative and stay afloat.

Butler said they had to lay off about 75 percent of their staff at the beginning of the pandemic, but renting out office space has helped their business. 

“Bringing back travelers and bringing people here to use for their office space is certainly helping us bring back our staff and keep all their mouths fed and keep everyone happy,” said Butler.