Unless something changes soon, many hotels will not survive the corona crisis. The ongoing Covid-19 threat is keeping tourists away en masse and leaving hotel rooms empty. Meanwhile, the water in many hotels is reaching their lips. A clear cut in the hospitality industry is about to happen.
Workplace in luxury hotels
In times of crisis, people get creative. More and more hotels are offering their lobbies and hotel rooms as flexible workspaces. The hotel hopefully gets its cash flow in order this way. And home workers can continue working without distractions from the home front. No kids demanding attention or a partner wanting to redecorate the house together. And admittedly, who wouldn't want a king-size bed in their office with an unlimited movie channel, a luxury bathroom and room service?
Hotel V Works
The well-known Amsterdam-based Hotel V did not sit back and was one of the first to think of setting up its hotel rooms as flexible workplaces. For 49 euros, tenants get their own hotel room (read: workplace). To be used from 8 am to 5 pm. With high-speed internet. A free parking space. Coffee and tea on the house. Room service. An unlimited and free movie channel. And a king-size bed for any power nap. If you want to stay overnight, you can do that too. For an extra 25 euros you have the hotel room for 24 hours.
My Extraordinary Workspace
Other hotels in the city soon followed Hotel V's idea. Through online platforms such as MEOW (My Extraordinary Workspace) and Hotel to Office hotels rent out their lobbies, hotel rooms, restaurants and meeting rooms as flex spaces. For a day's work in a hotel lobby, you pay 15 euros. For a hotel room, you pay about 50 euros per day. Besides Hotel V, upscale hotels such as L'Europe, Okura, Pulitzer, Pestana, Amrâth, Sir Albert, SevenOneSeven and W Hotel offer flexible workspaces.
"The MEOW app is not a corona-driven innovation. It stems from the need to create a 24/7 economy in hotels. Hotels and their signature restaurants and bars, stores and workplaces are an extension of the city. It's an eternal shame that when there are no tourists, the hotel sits largely empty, isn't it? That's why our app has a future," said Thomas van Leeuwen, founder of MEOW in Sprout.